By Fatima Saka
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has provided business starter packs and assistive devices to persons living with disabilities in Ogoniland to help them establish businesses, earn income and reduce dependence on family members.
The intervention accompanied the graduation of 120 beneficiaries trained in photography and fashion designing, while another 180 are expected to complete training in shoemaking, fish farming and basic computer skills in the coming weeks.
HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, said the initiative was designed to address gaps in the project’s livelihood interventions and ensure that persons living with disabilities were included in the development of Ogoniland.
He explained that the project worked with the leadership of the Association of Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities to identify their needs and select five vocational skills that could improve their economic prospects.
According to Zabbey, the provision of starter packs alongside vocational training is intended to enable beneficiaries to establish businesses and contribute to their families and the wider Ogoni economy.
He said HYPREP had also provided assistive devices, including wheelchairs, walking sticks, crutches, guide canes, hearing aids and prosthetic legs, to help beneficiaries overcome mobility and other challenges while operating their businesses.
Zabbey said the devices would enable recipients to navigate their communities with greater independence and dignity, while putting their newly acquired skills to productive use.
He commended the President General of the Association of Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities, Dr. Baridapdoo Joy Ngo, and his team for their engagement throughout the process.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ngo described the programme as a historic development for persons living with disabilities in Ogoniland, noting that they had long sought greater inclusion in HYPREP’s interventions.
He expressed gratitude to the project and its coordinator for recognising the needs of the group and providing vocational training, business equipment and assistive devices.
Ngo said the intervention had offered renewed hope to persons living with disabilities, particularly those who had previously lacked access to opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
He, however, urged HYPREP to sustain the initiative and expand its support to address other challenges facing the community.
According to him, the needs of persons living with disabilities vary, requiring interventions that go beyond the current training and equipment distribution.
He also appealed to HYPREP to ensure that those who did not benefit from the current programme were considered in subsequent phases.
Ngo said the association had informed persons living with disabilities across the four local government areas in Ogoniland that the programme would be implemented in phases because not everyone could participate at once.
He encouraged those yet to benefit not to lose hope, expressing optimism that they would be considered in future programmes.
The intervention forms part of HYPREP’s broader livelihood and human-capital development efforts in Ogoniland.
On Monday, the project disbursed N350 million in scholarship grants to 500 Ogoni postgraduate students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees.
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The beneficiaries comprised 300 master’s students who received N500,000 each and 200 doctoral students who received N1 million each.
Zabbey urged the postgraduate students to explore research opportunities provided by the Ogoni cleanup programme to contribute to the project’s implementation and national development.
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