The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has offered scholarship grants worth N200 million to no fewer than 300 post graduate students from Ogoniland to improve human capacity development in the area.

Nenibarini Zabbey, the project coordinator of HYPREP, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Zabby said that the beneficiaries, comprising 200 Masters and 100 PhD students, were selected through a painstakingly transparent process that started in October 2024, following an announcement by HYPREP.

“The 100 PhD beneficiaries received N1 million each while 200 Masters students got N500,000 each.’’

He said that the beneficiaries were selected based on merit which further demonstrated HYPREP’s commitment to fairness, transparency and inclusivity in its interventions in Ogoniland.

Mr Zabbey said that education was a transformative tool that could unlock new opportunities and create sustainable alternative sources of livelihood for oil-impacted communities in the area.

He said that the students were critical stakeholders and agents of change in the communities, and urged them to contribute to HYPREP’s ongoing environmental and livelihood restoration.

”Your role as postgraduate students is beyond academia; you are peace-builders who must promote unity, collaboration, and peaceful coexistence within Ogoni communities and beyond.

“Your work and influence will serve as bridges to further connect Ogoniland, fostering continuous dialogue, mutual understanding and collective action in the public interest,” he said.

According to Mr Zabbey, HYPREP will unveil new projects in 2025 to create more jobs and strengthen the employability capacity of Ogoni youths and women.

He assured that digital ICT facilities would be installed in selected secondary schools in Ogoni to aid learning.

Josephine Nzidee, head of sustainable livelihood, HYPREP, said that the project would support 2,000 Ogoni farmers towards ensuring food security.

She said that HYPREP would provide research support grants for 200 Ogoni final year students and establish 20 more environment club ‘Green Frontiers’ in 2025.

“The members of the Green Frontiers will be trained to nurse and plant economic fruit trees and vegetables in Ogoni communities as part of the project’s beautification efforts.

“People living with disabilities are not left out as the project will also be out rolling training for the group following the needs assessment collated from them.’’

Mrs Nzidee disclosed that HYPREP would carry out specialised skill training in seafaring, creative arts, mechatronic, commercial diving, cyber security, among others.

“This is in addition to the planned support for over 500 Nano businesses, SMEs and cooperatives targeted at growing the local economy,” Mrs Nzidee said.

Edwin Baa, managing director, Pa-Ed Multilinks Consulting, the consultant for the scholarship grant, harped on the transparency of the process.

“HYPREP has continued to place premium on human capacity development of Ogoni youths, and it would continue to drive a people-centred, sustainable and fit for purpose cleanup programme,” Mr Baa said.

(NAN)