HYPREP Empowers 120 Persons With Disabilities In Ogoniland, Distributes Starter Packs, Others
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has graduated 120 persons living with disabilities in Ogoniland after vocational training, equipping them with starter packs and assistive devices to promote economic independence, dignity and social inclusion.
The beneficiaries completed training in photography and fashion design under a special livelihood empowerment programme designed to accommodate 300 persons living with disabilities across Ogoniland, Rivers State.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area on Friday, HYPREP's Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, described the initiative as a landmark intervention in the project's efforts to ensure that vulnerable members of the Ogoni community are not left behind in the ongoing environmental restoration and development process.
Zabbey explained that the programme was conceived after HYPREP identified gaps in the participation of underserved populations, particularly persons living with disabilities, in its livelihood interventions.
He said the project subsequently engaged the leadership of the Ogoni Association of Persons Living With Disabilities to jointly design a programme that would address their specific needs and provide practical skills for sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, the beneficiaries selected five vocational areas: shoemaking, basic computer training, fish farming, fashion design and photography.
The project coordinator disclosed that the first batch of 120 beneficiaries graduated in photography and fashion design, while the remaining 180 participants would graduate in the other three skill areas in subsequent weeks.
He emphasised that HYPREP's intervention went beyond vocational training, noting that the beneficiaries were provided with starter packs and assistive devices to enable them to operate their businesses and participate more actively in society.
The assistive devices include wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks, guide canes, hearing aids and prosthetic legs, depending on the individual needs of the beneficiaries.
Zabbey said the support was designed to enable participants to navigate their communities, establish businesses and contribute to their families' welfare without depending entirely on others.
He described persons living with disabilities as among the most vulnerable members of society, drawing an analogy from his background in biological science and environmental biomonitoring.
According to him, certain ecological indicator species are unable to move away from contaminated environments and must either survive the pollution or perish. He likened their vulnerability to that of persons with mobility and visual impairments, stressing the need for deliberate interventions to protect and empower underserved populations.
Zabbey said the initiative reflected HYPREP's commitment to inclusive development and compassionate leadership, adding that the project had adopted a participatory approach by allowing beneficiaries to determine the vocational skills most suitable for their circumstances.
He commended the association's leadership for its cooperation and constructive engagement, describing the achievement as a product of dialogue, partnership, patience and resilience.
The project coordinator further disclosed that HYPREP had created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained 5,000 Ogoni people in 21 vocational skills, with beneficiaries receiving starter packs to establish their businesses.
He added that another 2,400 Ogoni youths and women were undergoing training in high-demand skills, including cybersecurity, rigging, mud logging, geographic information systems (GIS), cloud mapping, software development, animation, graphic design, full-stack development, commercial diving and underwater welding.
Zabbey also announced that HYPREP was increasing the participation of women in its programmes, noting that their representation had risen from five per cent three years earlier to 45 per cent.
He attributed the project's expanding interventions to the Federal Government's prioritisation of the Ogoni cleanup under President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, the graduation ceremony, alongside the recent award of postgraduate scholarships to 500 Ogoni students, demonstrates the government's commitment to implementing the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme report on Ogoniland.
The scholarship beneficiaries comprise 300 master's degree students and 200 doctoral students.
Beyond livelihood empowerment, Zabbey said HYPREP was pursuing interventions in environmental restoration, potable water provision, public health, peacebuilding and other areas critical to the recovery and development of Ogoniland.
He disclosed that the project had established 32 environmental clubs in secondary schools across the area to educate young people on environmental protection and responsible resource management.
He also announced plans to commence the Greening Ogoniland initiative, which will establish economic tree nurseries across the four local government areas of Ogoniland.
The programme is expected to involve members of the environmental clubs in raising seedlings, establishing nurseries and planting trees, particularly species that have become scarce or locally extinct in the area.
Zabbey explained that the initiative would promote environmental restoration, improve air quality, provide shade, moderate local temperatures and strengthen Ogoniland's resilience to climate change.
He added that the tree-planting initiative would complement HYPREP's mangrove restoration activities in the creeks, contributing to the long-term ecological recovery of the region.
The project coordinator urged the graduating beneficiaries to become ambassadors of HYPREP at the grassroots and across Ogoni communities, and make productive use of their skills and starter packs.
He also encouraged residents, businesses and other stakeholders to patronise the beneficiaries' services, stressing that community support would be essential to the success of their new businesses.
While warning against the sale of the starter packs, Zabbey described the graduation ceremony day as the greatest day for him, saying, the empowerment of the persons living with disabilities is the hallmark of HYPREP's interventions.
The President-General of the Ogoni Association of Persons Living With Disabilities, Dr. Baridabdoo Ngo, described the graduation as historic, commending HYPREP for giving persons living with disabilities greater recognition and participation in its programmes.
He particularly appreciated the provision of assistive devices and called for the continuation of the initiative to accommodate more persons living with disabilities who were yet to benefit.
The beneficiaries were generally appreciative to HYPREP for not only including them in its livelihood programmes but also empowering them, as some of them were now doing what they were not doing before.
The programme reinforces HYPREP's livelihood restoration mandate under the broader Ogoni cleanup initiative, with emphasis on inclusive economic opportunities, environmental recovery and improved welfare for affected communities.
