The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation/Chevron Joint Venture spent more than N20.6 billion on 600 programmes through the Chevron Global Memorandum of Understanding, GMoU since 2005.
Mr. Esimaje Brikinnin, General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, PGPA, Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, stated this at the graduation ceremony and presentation of starter packs to the trainees under Itsekiri Regional Development Committee, IRDC.
Represented by Sam Daibo, the Area Manager, PGPA Field Operation, Brikinn noted that the success of the capacity building/training programme “reinforces CNL’s belief that the process that is community-driven can stimulate quicker community development, than processes and systems designed without effective participation of community members.”
He reiterated that the skills’ acquisition programme which produced the 438 fresh Itsekiri entrepreneurs is in line with Target 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, which states that nations should promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth as well as full and productive employment and decent work for all.
The PGPA boss, who expressed delight that Itsekiri RDC was back, vibrant, united and ready to add value to people’s lives in its member communities, enjoined everyone to support Itsekiri RDC to enable it focus on its core duty which is community development.
Chairman of IRDC, Ambassador Austine Oniyesan at the, described the event as first of its kind in the history of IRDC.
Amb. Oniyesan, who stressed the need for the graduands to continually learn and improve themselves, noted that the current leadership of IRDC will focus its attention on massive job creation in Itsekiri communities under the Chevron GMoU, through mega projects that will be sustainable.
More than than 438 youths of Itsekiri extraction, drawn from over 20 Itsekiri communities of Chevron Global Memorandum of Understanding, GMoU IRDC are to begin full-scale entrepreneurship after successfully undergoing intensive training.
The youths trained in Hair Dressing, Hotel and Catering Services, Information Communication Technology, Tailoring and Fashion Design, Tinsmith and Installation, Welding and Fabrication, Electrical as well as Inter-locking Stone and Kerb, received sewing machines, gas cookers/ovens with cylinder bottles, hair dressing dryers and make-over boxes, inter-locking stones’ molds, shovels and towels, welding as well as grinding machines, power drills, electrical and instrumentation boxes as well as desktop computers and accessories.
