FG berates inadequate training of ex-militants by oil, gas coys

Posted by admin Latest Politics, Niger Delta Sunday, April 1st, 2012

The Federal Government has expressed its displeasure with the oil and gas industry’s inability to train 3,000 ex-militants it pledged to facilitate their training in related industry areas. Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Matters, Kingsley Kuku who expressed government’s disappointment at the weekend, at an investiture ceremony, where he was honoured as the Maritime man of the year 2011 said, the companies had given insufficient training to a paltry 1,200 youths in areas that were not relevant to the petroleum sector.

He said it was ridiculous that oil and gas companies could be training youths in the Niger Delta region as tailors, caterers and other vocations that were of no relevance to the sector. Kuku explained that the target of the amnesty office in 2012 was to train over 8,400 ex- militants in many areas, such that people of the region could get job placement in the oil and gas sector, where expatriates are holding the economy to ransom.

He said there was no going back on the training of ex- militants in marine-related areas, as government’s target was to ensure that in the next few years, youths from the region would have the skills and competence to handle oil and gas related jobs.

“It is a terrible experience that the oil and gas multi–national companies are not offering quality training to youths from the Niger Delta region, the sector and its players pledged to offer assistance to over 3,000 youths, out of the 26, 358 ex-militants, but, so far the over 1,000 that they have put in the training processes is grossly inadequate for the needs of the industry.” “The oil and gas companies must train Niger Delta youths, in areas that are useful, especially in areas of industrial demand. I am going to embark on a tour of oil and gas facilities, where the companies are training youths from the region, if I am not pleased with the facilities, the youths will be withdrawn from such sub-standard facilities,” he said.”

He explained that the amnesty office had successfully placed a total of 10,395 former militants in skills acquisition/training centres as well as in formal educational within the country and offshore. He said: “In all, the amnesty programme’s beneficiaries are in 26 local training centers in 12 states of the federation, while the ex- agitators placed in offshore educational and skills acquisition centres in United States, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Malaysia,

United Kingdom, Israel, Sri Lanka, India, Benin Republic, Cyprus, Poland, Ghana, Belarus, United Arab Emirates, the Philippines as well as Trinidad and Tobago. More of the trainees are due to be deployed to skills acquisition facilities in Greece, Germany and Canada.”

In spite of its successes, he said the amnesty programme was still grappling with some contending challenges, which included the fate of the trainees on graduation.“How do we get the delegates gainfully employed after offering them skills?wp_posts