A youth-focused organisation, Africa’s Hub for Skills and Enterprise Development (AHSED), has launched an initiative to curb pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta by equipping young people with practical digital and entrepreneurial skills.
Through its programme, Project SSE – Secure the Pipeline, Secure the Future, Establish the Future, the group said it is targeting oil-producing communities where unemployment and poverty have driven many youths into pipeline sabotage and crude oil theft.
Founder of AHSED, Wisdom Aghoghovwia, in a statement after a sensitisation campaign in Ogbijo, Delta State, where nearly a thousand youths and community members were engaged, said the project was designed to tackle the root causes of vandalism by creating new opportunities for self-reliance.
Pipeline vandalism has remained a major threat to Nigeria’s economy and environment, especially in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
According to a report, between 2018 and 2023, Nigeria recorded over 7,000 incidents of pipeline vandalism, resulting in the loss of $12.74 million worth of crude oil.
Well-organised syndicates often carried out these activities with access to advanced equipment and insider information, and many local youths, driven by poverty and unemployment, participated in or supported oil theft as a means of survival.
“We believe that a skilled youth is an asset to the nation. By equipping young people with viable skills, we can secure the future of tomorrow and prevent the wanton destruction of our nation’s most valuable resources. Project SSE is not just an initiative; it’s a movement to create a better future for Nigeria’s youths and the nation as a whole”, Aghoghovwia said.
Aghoghovwia said his organisation reached out to nearly a thousand youths and community members, sensitising them to the dangers of pipeline vandalism and offering digital skills and entrepreneurship as a pathway to a brighter future.
He said the project, a nationwide initiative, would spread across different cities and communities, targeting major oil-dependent areas.
“As the project kicks off in Ogbijo, it is poised to make a lasting impact on the lives of thousands of youths, providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in today’s digital economy.
“With this initiative, we are confident that we can reduce pipeline vandalisation, promote economic growth, and empower a new generation of young Nigerians to become leaders and change-makers in their communities”, he stated.
