Cross River State governor, Bassey Otu, has flagged off a CPD-accredited Oil and Gas training for 2,000 youths of the state under his People First agenda and human capital development drive.
The programme, themed: “Skill Up in the Season of Sweetness (SUSOS),”in was officially declared open on Thursday in
Calabar by the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, who represented the governor.
 Otu said the CPD-accredited Certificate and Diploma training was designed to equip young Cross Riverians with internationally relevant technical competence and professional certification to compete favourably in the oil and gas industry.
He said the oil and gas sector offers vast opportunities beyond exploration and production, including engineering, logistics, marine services, safety, environmental management, procurement, maintenance and data services.
 “This initiative aligns with our commitment to human capital development and economic inclusion.
 “The training of 2,000 youths through CPD-accredited programmes represents an investment not only in individuals but in families, communities and the future productive capacity of Cross River State,” Otu said.
Earlier, Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas, Mr. Ukpong Umoh, said the training is about positioning youths for economic relevance.
“The oil and gas sector is bigger than crude oil. It requires competent, disciplined and properly trained people. We are here to prepare our young people not just to look for jobs, but to become valuable contributors to the economy,” Umoh said.
On his part, director of research, Gateway Institute, organisers of the programme, Mr. ThankGod Arong Onda, disclosed that each beneficiary received a N500,000 scholarship fully sponsored by the state government, amounting to over N700 million investment.
 “According to Les Brown, it is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.
‘The question is after the struggle to reclaim our oil wells, how ready are we as youths to take over? That is why we are here,” he said.
He explained that the orientation in Calabar will be followed by trainings across the 18 Local Government Areas, with zonal sessions in Ogoja for the North and Ikom for the Central District, before the grand finale and graduation.
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