A total of 10,000 youths drawn from 19 states of the Federation are undergoing Federal Government’s training on pipeline surveillance as part of the efforts towards reducing crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.
The youths who were drawn from Edo, Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ogun, Lagos, Kogi, Niger, Abia, Imo, Kaduna, Gombe, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Osun, among others, are being trained on community policing of oil installations and how to nip the activities of pipeline vandals in the bud.
Declaring the training held at the NYSC Permanent orientation camp in Issele-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government, Delta State open, the National Chairman of Host Communities of Nigeria (producing oil and gas), Mr. Mike Emuh said the training of the 10,000 youths was in batches.
Emuh said “the first batch which has just kicked off will accommodate 3,000 youths with others to follow suit”, adding that “10 persons were nominated by each of the oil and gas host community who would be trained on intelligence gathering, physical security strategies, fire-fighting, para-military training, among others to protect pipelines in their various communities”.
He said the people of the Niger Delta region were known for peace, saying that the struggle is all about 13 per cent oil derivation and Modular refinery, among others.
On his part, the Obasogie of Benin, Chief Eduwu Ekhator urged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of their various communities to achieve the aim of the programme.
The National President of the youth wing of HOSCON, Comrade Samuel Success and the beneficiaries of the training programme, thanked the Federal Government for the gesture, and hoped the programme would help tackle the problem of youth restiveness and unemployment among the youths.
