From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
The Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, has charged 2,000 youths participating in the state-sponsored CPD Oil and Gas Training Programme to focus on becoming job creators rather than limiting themselves to seeking employment opportunities.
The governor made the call in a keynote address at the flag-off of the programme, themed “Skill Up in the Season of Sweetness (SUSOS),” held in Calabar.
The governor was represented at the event by the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem.
Otu said his administration’s People First Agenda prioritises youth empowerment through skills acquisition and professional training designed to enable young people to compete effectively in the global economy.
According to the governor, “Acquiring a certificate should only serve as a starting point for further professional development, entrepreneurship and innovation.”
Otu noted that opportunities in the oil and gas sector extend beyond crude oil exploration and production to areas such as engineering, logistics, marine services, safety, environmental management, procurement, maintenance and technology.
He assured the beneficiaries that the state government would continue to introduce support programmes aimed at improving access to skills and productive employment.
The governor described the training of 2,000 youths as an investment in the future workforce and economic capacity of Cross River State.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas, Mr Ukpong Umoh, said genuine empowerment goes beyond distributing certificates, stressing the importance of equipping beneficiaries with knowledge, practical skills, confidence and access to opportunities.
He encouraged participants to consider how they could use the knowledge acquired to create value and address challenges within their communities and the wider economy.
The Director of Research at Gateway Institute, Mr ThankGod Arong Onda, disclosed that the state government had committed more than N700 million to the programme, including a N500,000 scholarship for each participant.
Onda said the training was designed to prepare Cross River youths to play a key role in managing the state’s oil assets if efforts to reclaim its oil wells succeed.
He added that following the orientation in Calabar, zonal training sessions would be held in Ogoja for the Northern Senatorial District and Ikom for the Central Senatorial District, with participants drawn from all 18 local government areas before the final graduation ceremony.
The beneficiaries, who were equipped with safety helmets, were urged to take the training seriously and emerge as responsible ambassadors of Cross River State.