The NNPC/Seplat joint venture has equipped 127 teachers and education evaluators in Imo with digital teaching techniques and alternative income-generating skills.
The beneficiaries received the training under the Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP), with the first Imo cohort graduating in Owerri.
Seplat’s Director of External Affairs and Social Performance, Ms Chioma Afe, disclosed this at the graduation ceremony on Sunday.
Afe, who was represented by Esther Icha, General Manager, Corporate Social Investment and Social Performance, said the programme was designed to strengthen teachers’ professional development while improving their economic capacity.
She said the initiative aimed to create sustainable impact in schools and communities by equipping teachers with skills they could apply both in the classroom and beyond.
According to her, the joint venture’s investment in education reflects its belief that empowering teachers remains an effective way to transform communities.
Afe said STEP had previously operated in Edo and Delta states, where it trained more than 2,000 teachers.
She added that the Imo edition marked the programme’s first intervention in the state.
Afe urged the beneficiaries to see their certificates as the beginning of greater responsibility and leadership within their communities.
“Take the digital skills you have acquired into your classrooms, share your knowledge with fellow teachers, encourage your students to learn, explore and innovate,” she said.
She added that the programme’s impact would ultimately be measured by the students the beneficiaries inspired, the colleagues they supported and the communities they influenced.
Also speaking, Mr Olanrewaju Igandan, Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), described teachers as “critical channels for knowledge transfer to younger generations.”
Igandan, represented by Ms Chizoba Onyike, Subsurface Operations Adviser, NUIMS, commended the stakeholders who contributed to the success of the programme and wished the beneficiaries success in their future endeavours.
Earlier, Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo, represented by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Bertram Ikegwuoha, urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired to positively influence their students.
Uzodinma thanked Seplat and NNPC for the initiative and encouraged the teachers to uphold the programme’s motto: “Teach. Inspire. Transform.”
The graduation also featured a business idea competition among the beneficiaries.
Mrs Choice Nwachukwu emerged the overall winner after presenting a concept on antiseptic production. She scored 432 points and received N500,000.
Mr Obinna Anele, who presented a business concept on unripe plantain flour, came second with 425 points and received a N300,000 grant.
Ms Golden Ezekwe, whose concept focused on braiding, placed third with 421 points and received N200,000.
source: NAN
