C'River Govt Flags Off Oil & Gas Training for 2,000 Youths
By Missang AKPET
The Cross River State Government is set to train 2,000 youths across the state on general Oil and Gas services with international certification.
The programme, with the theme Skill Up in the Season of Sweetness, organized by the Office of the Special Adviser on Oil and Gas in collaboration with Research Gateway Professional Institute (RGPI) will train beneficiaries on oil and gas exploration, safety, maintenance, production, engineering, logistics, environmental management and other specialized fields.
Declaring the training open in Calabar, the State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, represented by the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. Elvert Ayambem, said his administration places youth empowerment at the heart of its People First agenda.
According to the Governor, the programme is significant because it brings opportunity directly to 2,000 young Cross Riverians through structured training and internationally relevant certification in the oil and gas sector.
"The oil and gas industry remains a major component of Nigeria's economy. Our responsibility as a government is therefore to ensure that our young people acquire the knowledge, technical competence and professional credentials required to compete effectively," Otu said.
He assured that government will continue to support initiatives that expand access to skills and productive employment.
In his welcome address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas, Mr. Ukpong Umoh, said the training is aimed at preparing youths not just to look for jobs but to become valuable contributors to the economy.
"As we all know, the oil and gas sector is bigger than just extracting oil. It includes engineering, fabrication, logistics, marine services, environmental management, health and safety, technology and maintenance. It is an industry that requires competent, disciplined and properly trained people," Umoh said.
True empowerment is not simply putting something in someone's hands. True empowerment is putting knowledge in someone's mind, skills in someone's hand, confidence in someone's heart and opportunity in someone's reach. We want to see entrepreneurs, service providers and job creators emerge from this programme" he added.
Inducting the beneficiaries, the Registrar of Research Gateway Professional Institute, Prof. Bassey Oben, said Gateway institute is a driver of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) in the state and aligns with global best practices.
"In line with global best practices, every professional is supposed to be internationally accredited. If you want to play global, you need an internationally recognized certification. Research Gateway Professional Institute networks with international accredited bodies that license our programs," Prof. Oben explained.
He noted that certificates issued by the institute carry a barcode that announces beneficiaries to the world as certified professionals.
The training will hold across the three senatorial districts of the state, starting from the Northern Senatorial District in Ogoja, then Central in Ikom, before the Southern District in Calabar.
