The Project Coordinator said the role of students in the Ogoni environmental clean-up was all clearly defined, as the project offers a very unique opportunity for Ogoni students to understudy and learn the key skills for remediation.
In the details of the meeting released by Assistant Director of Information, HYPREP, Ekaette Umo, on Thursday, Dr. Dekil told the visiting National Union of Ogoni Students of their inclusion in the implementation of the UNEP Report on Ogoni land.
Other areas of possible collaboration, according to Dr. Dekil include partneriñg with the students for efficient and effective communication during sensitization and advocacy visits to the affected communities.
He advised key officials of the Union to create a synergy with HYPREP Communication team so as to be informed and also participate when such programmes come up.
He disclosed that HYPREP will be willing to work with them on activities that support the project within the allocated budget.
His words “There are activities you could do for the Project like sensitization. Where there are specific activities that support the Project within the budget, we may be able to engage you to do such things.
“You need to come up as an organisation, create activities that you think can support this project and support will naturally come with that. You need to be ingenious and innovative with that”.
Delivering the address from the students, the President of the Union Comrade Barinaada Kpalap said the visit to the Project Coordinator was amongst others, to pledge the unflinching support of the students of Ogoni for HYPREP.
The Union President in his address presented the students’ requests to the Project Coordinator and added that the students were eager to be a part of history and appealed to the Project Coordinator for inclusion in areas where they can contribute and add value to the successful implementation of the project.
The Project Co-ordinatot said that as students of Ogoni, they are close to members of the affected communities and constantly in touch with them and could therefore act as a channel to drive information to the grassroots.
He assured the students that HYPREP will accommodate students on its industrial training programmes who study courses in relevant fields, adding that the Project will serve as a platform to train them into becoming experts moving forward.
He assured them that HYPREP doors were wide open and urged them to glean and learn life skills while interacting with professionals on the project.
Dr. Dekil informed the Union members that HYPREP was willing to assist youths to develop business ideas and set up companies leveraging on the waiver given by the Federal Government to support youths to register their own businesses using the Ogoni youths forum as a platform.
