The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has awarded scholarship funds totaling N200 million to 300 postgraduate students from Ogoniland, intending to improve human capacity development in the region. Nenibarini Zabbey, the project coordinator of HYPREP, launched this effort in a statement to journalists on Saturday in Abuja.
He disclosed that out of the recipients, 200 are pursuing Master?s degrees while 100 are enrolled in PhD schools, all picked through a rigorous and transparent process that began in October 2024 following HYPREP?s announcement. ?The 100 PhD recipients each received N1 million, while the 200 Master?s students were granted N500,000 each,? Mr. Zabbey remarked.
He stressed that the selection was based on merit, displaying HYPREP’s dedication to fairness, transparency, and inclusivity in its programs in Ogoniland. Mr. Zabbey underlined the transforming power of education, which can unlock new possibilities and generate sustainable livelihoods for people impacted by oil activity.
He encouraged the students, seen as key stakeholders and agents of change, to contribute to HYPREP’s ongoing efforts in environmental and livelihood restoration. “Your role as postgraduate students extends beyond academia; you are peace-builders who should foster unity, collaboration, and peaceful coexistence within Ogoni communities and beyond.
Your efforts will assist bridge relationships in Ogoniland, enabling ongoing discourse, mutual understanding, and collective public action,” he stated. Looking ahead, Mr. Zabbey noted that HYPREP wants to launch additional initiatives in 2025 to improve employment creation and increase the employability of Ogoni youths and women.
He stated that digital ICT facilities will be built in selected secondary schools in Ogoniland to support learning. HYPREP’s head of sustainable livelihood, Josephine Nzidee, announced plans to support 2,000 Ogoni farmers as part of programs aimed at ensuring food security. She added that in 2025, HYPREP would create 20 more environment clubs called “Green Frontiers” and provide research support grants to 200 Ogoni final-year students.
She added that people with disabilities would also receive specialised training based on needs identified during assessments. “The members of Green Frontiers will be trained in nurturing and planting economic fruit trees and vegetables in Ogoni communities, contributing to the project’s beautification goals,” she said.
In addition to supporting more than 500 nano enterprises, SMEs, and cooperatives with the goal of enhancing the local economy, Mrs. Nzidee described the variety of specialised skills training that HYPREP will provide, including instruction in seafaring, the creative arts, mechatronics, commercial diving, and cybersecurity. The selection procedure was transparent, according to Edwin Baa, managing director of Pa-Ed Multilinks Consulting, the consultant for the scholarship program.
Mr. Baa came to the conclusion that “HYPREP will continue to deliver a people-centered, sustainable cleanup program that meets the community’s needs and continues to prioritise the human capacity development of Ogoni youths.”
CREDIT: ALLSCHOOL, Allschoolabs
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