The Cross River State Government has commenced a specialised training programme for 2,000 youths to equip them with the professional skills and knowledge required to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the oil and gas sector.
The programme, tagged “Skill Up in the Season of Sweetness (SUSOS)”, is being organised by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas in collaboration with the Research Gateway Professional Institute.
According to the organisers, the training, which is CPD-accredited, is being held against the backdrop of the state government’s submission of a federal verification report to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), as the state seeks to reclaim its oil-producing status following a federal review.
Speaking at the commencement of the programme, Governor Bassey Otu, represented by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, said the initiative was part of his administration’s commitment to youth empowerment and human capital development.
Otu said the programme was particularly significant because it was taking opportunities directly to 2,000 young Cross Riverians through structured training and professional certification.
According to him, the oil and gas industry offers opportunities beyond crude oil exploration and production, including engineering, fabrication, logistics, marine services, health and safety, environmental management, procurement, maintenance and technology.
He urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously, stressing that the certificates they would receive should serve as a foundation for continuous professional development, entrepreneurship and innovation.
The governor said his administration would continue to support initiatives aimed at expanding access to skills, enterprise opportunities and productive employment for young people in the state.
He challenged the participants to translate the knowledge acquired into competence, confidence and economic value, urging them to become worthy ambassadors of Cross River wherever their professional careers take them.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas, Ukpong Umoh, said the programme was intended to prepare young people not merely to seek employment but to become valuable contributors to the state’s economy.
Umoh said the sector required competent and properly trained personnel, noting that opportunities existed in several areas, including engineering, fabrication, logistics, marine services, environmental management, health and safety, technology and maintenance.
He urged the beneficiaries to ask questions, learn from their instructors, build professional relationships and understand industry standards so they could take advantage of opportunities when they emerged.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Political Affairs in the Office of the Chief of Staff, Dunamis Archibong, described the initiative as a significant investment in the future of Cross River youths.
Archibong said the programme demonstrated that the administration’s “Season of Sweetness” agenda was being translated into practical opportunities for citizens, particularly young people.
The Director of Research Gateway Professional Institute, ThankGod Arong Onda, said the programme was conceived to prepare Cross River youths for opportunities in the oil and gas industry through professional training and research-driven capacity development.
Onda disclosed that each of the 2,000 beneficiaries was receiving a scholarship valued at N500,000, adding that the training would be extended across the state’s three senatorial districts.
He urged the beneficiaries to maximise the opportunity by acquiring the requisite skills and professional competence, saying the ultimate objective was to prepare a new generation of skilled youths capable of contributing meaningfully to Cross River’s economic development.
WATCH TOP VIDEOS FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE TV