300 youths trained by NDDC eye crafts jobs in oil industry

A total of 300 youths from the Niger Delta region have graduated from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) technical skills training programme in various areas of specialization, expected to take up craft jobs in oil industry.

For years, the oil majors complained that the indigenes seemed unwilling or lacking in the required competences to take up technical and craft jobs in the oil and gas sector.

Now, the NDDC registered all the youths in the region and began training schemes to get them industry-ready.

Addressing the youths during the graduation ceremony at the NDDC event centre in Port Harcourt, Victor Antai, the Commission’s Executive Director, Projects, said the training was part of efforts of the Commission to reduce youth restiveness, create employment and reduce poverty among the people.

Antai, who spoke on behalf of Samuel Ogbuku, the Managing Director, explained that the training in the areas of pipe fitting, scaffolding, forklift operations, and sand blasting was meant to fill the job vacuum in the oil and gas industry.

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He noted that the effort to develop human capacity for the people of the Niger Delta region to learn and benefit from the training programme was in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Antai said further: “It is noteworthy that we are gathered to celebrate the graduation of youths from the Niger Delta region who have been trained to acquire skills in pipe fitting, scaffolding, forklift operations, sand blasting to learn and to benefit from a programme such as this. This is in line with the Provisions of Section 7 of the NDDC Establishment Act 2000, as amended.”

The Executive Director stated that NDDC was committed to realising its mandate of human capacity development that would be sustainable and regenerative, noting that trainees from the nine states of the region participated in the training.

Antai advised the graduands to remain focused, as he said the NDDC invested a considerable amount of money to train them in the various areas to produce worthy trained personnel for various industries that require skills in oil and gas, and manufacturing.

He added that the development would further lead to a decrease in the demand for white collar jobs, development in the SMEs among others, in line with the ideals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He described the graduands as pioneers and ambassadors of the NDDC, part of the fulfilment of the current NDDC board’s vision to restore hope to the people of the region.

Lyna Okara, Director, Commercial and Industrial Development, said the training programme was well thought out to address the needs of the oil and gas industry.

In a goodwill message, Timothy Iyenabo, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, urged the graduands to develop a road map towards upscaling and training others.

According to Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director, Corporate Affairs, the ceremony was graced by Ifedayo Abegunde, the Executive Director, Corporate Services. Others were Winifred Madume, Director, Agriculture and Fisheries, and other NDDC Directors. It featured the presentation of certificates to the graduands.