Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — 89 youths, selected from the 110 host and pipeline communities of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, have graduated from the company’s skill acquisition and capacity building programme, Youth Empowerment Scheme.
YES is one of NLNG’s numerous initiatives designed to make youths in its host and pipeline communities self-reliant as well as economically and socially responsible through guided technical and managerial development training.
NLNG’s General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development, Eyono Fatayi-Williams, said that the Company’s host communities in Rivers State have benefited from the scheme through vocational modules in hair-dressing and cosmetology, catering and events management.
Others, according to Fatayi-Williams, are fashion and design, photography and video production, welding and fabrication, wood work and furniture making and most recently, farming techniques.
She said that it was NLNG’s way of giving back to its host and pipeline communities that have supported the company in achieving great feats in its 30 years of incorporation and 20 years of production from its Bonny Plant.
“The scheme programme includes mentoring of trainees by five of its training providers – Plantgeria Nigeria Limited (Automotive), Topearl Catering and Hospitality Management (Catering), JB Multimedia Limited (Video Production and Photography), Lincoln Continental Limited (Advanced Welding) and Farmers’ Business School (Farm Management).
“The agreement between us and these training companies set the stage and opened new vistas for our aspiring youths. Since then, most of them have graduated with National certifications- NABTEB and Trade Test II respectively.
“Today, we are here to celebrate the graduation of 17 youths in welding, 24 in Catering and Hotel Management, another 17 in Automotive Training, 16 in Farm Management and 15 in Video and Photography.
“It is heart-warming to state that these trainees graduated with excellent grades.
“To help them get started immediately, we have provided them with a starter pack and mentorship from their trainers for three months period post set-up. This is to support them in overcoming any teething problems as they start and also to help them get grounded to succeed in business,” she said.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Employment Generation and Empowerment, Mr. Lawson Ikuru, appealed to NLNG to extend the training to other indigenes of the state, while charging the beneficiaries to use the opportunity seriously.
“Rivers State Government through the Ministry is happy with NLNG on this YES training. At the same time, we are worried this is limited to your host communities.
“Please in your subsequent trainings, please endeavour to include a fraction of people from other pats of the state to broaden your horizon.”
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Miss Dappa Charis, who was trained in pipeline welding, commended NLNG for the lifetime opportunity.
“I am actually happy. Today I am among the NLNG 2019 trainees. The training was a stressful one but we thank God. I am a welder trainee, I did pipeline welding.
“I feel great, excited, happy, fulfilled because years back I have been looking for a way to enrol in this kind of programme but the opportunity was not coming forth. But I thank the Almighty God for this training.”
NLNG is owned by four Shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by NNPC (49%), Shell Gas B.V. (25.6%), Total Gaz Electricite Holdings France (15%), and Eni International N.A. N. V. S.àr. l (10.4%).
