In its bid to boost to human capacity development in Ogoniland, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has awarded N200 million worth of scholarship grants to 300 postgraduate students.
The beneficiaries, comprising 200 Master’s and 100 PhD students, were said to be selected through a transparent process that began in October 2024 and each of the 100 PhD beneficiaries received N1 million, while the 200 Master’s students got N500,000 each.
Speaking at the award ceremony in Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, emphasized that the beneficiaries were selected based on merit, demonstrating HYPREP’s commitment to fairness, transparency, and inclusivity.
“HYPREP believes that education is a transformative tool that can unlock new opportunities and create sustainable alternative sources of livelihood for oil-impacted communities in Ogoniland,” Professor Zabbey said.
The Project Coordinator charged the beneficiaries to contribute to HYPREP’s ongoing environmental and livelihood restoration efforts by promoting peace and development at the community level.
“Your role as postgraduate students is beyond academia. You are peacebuilders who must promote unity, collaboration, and peaceful coexistence within Ogoni communities and beyond,” Professor Zabbey stressed.
He attributed the successes recorded by HYPREP to the cooperation of the Ogoni community and the commitment of all project stakeholders.
Zabbey announced that a significant number of HYPREP’s projects will be completed this year, including soil and groundwater remediation, shoreline cleanup, and mangrove restoration.
Other projects to be completed this year include the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, Buan Cottage Hospital, and the Ogoni Power Projects.
He added that the Project will also launch new initiatives to create jobs and strengthen the employability capacity of Ogoni youth and women.
Also, HYPREP’s Head of Sustainable Livelihood, Mrs. Josephine Nzidee, outlined the Project’s various livelihood intervention programmes which include support for 2,000 Ogoni farmers, research grants for 200 final-year students, and the establishment of 20 Environment Clubs.
She added that the Project will also provide specialized skill training in areas such as seafaring, creative arts, mechatronic, commercial diving, and cybersecurity.
Furthermore, she stated that HYPREP will carry out training for people living with disabilities, following a needs assessment.
The Managing Director of Pa-Ed Multilinks Consulting, the consultant for the scholarship grant, reiterated the transparency of the process.
He noted the process began with a sensitization programme that attracted over 1,200 participants, which was followed by an orientation session, where candidates were informed about the program’s requirements and expectations.
He further said a total of 837 candidates registered for the programme, and 766 of them showed up for the aptitude test. After the test, 474 candidates qualified for the verification process, which was the final stage of the selection process.
He said the results of the selection process showed a good spread across the four local government areas (LGAs) of Khana, Gokana, Eleme, and Tai. Khana had the highest success rate, with 45% of its candidates emerging successful, followed by Gokana with 29%, Eleme with 15%, and Tai with 10%.
The registration statistics also reflected a similar spread, with Khana accounting for 45% of the total registration, followed by Gokana with 30.9%, Eleme with 23.7%, and Tai with 11.2%.
The scholarship grant award ceremony was attended by prominent dignitaries, including the Director, Technical Services, Professor Damien-Paul Aguiyi, AIG Emmanuel Effiom (Rtd.), HRM King (DR.) T.Y Suanu Baridam, Gbenemene Ancient Bangha Kingdom, and Chief Stephen Kpean.
