EKET
The NNPC/SEPLAT JV EMOIMEE Host Community Development Trust (HCDT), Eket Local Government Area, has officially flagged off its 2025 Skill Acquisition and Empowerment Programme.
The event, which took place, over the weekend at Animeks International Schools Auditorium, Eket, was part of the mandate of the Host Community Development Trust established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 to drive sustainable development in oil-producing communities.
Speaking at the ceremony, Air Commodore Charles Uso (rtd.), member representing Eket in the EMOIMEE HCDT Board, explained that the programme was designed to empower both youths and adults with practical skills that enhance employability and entrepreneurship.
According to him, 180 beneficiaries would be trained across four key sectors: Oil and Gas, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Fashion and Design, and Cake Making and Pastries. A breakdown showed 40 trainees in Oil and Gas Operations/Maintenance, 40 in ICT, 40 in Fashion and Design, and 60 in Cake Making and Pastries.
The training, scheduled to last between three and five months, is expected to provide participants with starter packs such as laptops, electric sewing machines and cooker with oven, while oil and gas trainees would receive international certification to enhance their competitiveness in the industry.
Air Commodore Uso highlighted the Trust’s notable interventions since its inauguration on July 19, 2023, to include the distribution of 43 mini buses, 30 tricycles, and 28 motorcycles as empowerment items as well as award of scholarships to 214 tertiary students in the 2023/2024 session, 286 students in the 2024/2025 session, with 376 set to benefit in the 2025/2026 session, and cash support to market men and women.
Others are the engagement of 36 indigenous contractors to renovate eight primary schools and three health centres across Eket’s three zones (Central, Urban, and Okon), with 70 per cent of contract funds already disbursed.
Other interventions include the provision of perimeter fences, solar lights, solar-powered boreholes, security services, and classroom renovations. In education, 150 desks for 300 pupils, 40 teachers’ tables and chairs, and 8 tables for headmasters have been supplied. Four schools have also been lined up for ecological intervention projects to tackle flooding.
On agriculture, the 2025 budget has captured plans to construct farm roads, acquire two fishing and seafaring boats, and promote integrated agribusiness initiatives.
Though health interventions were not initially included in the 5-year Community Development Plan (CDP), the Trust secured NUPRC approval to support projects at Immanuel General Hospital, Eket, including: 24/7 power supply with solar backup for critical areas such as the operating theatre, Solar-powered water supply for the entire hospital, and improved sanitation and security services.
Uso, however, noted that the five-year imposed CDP has constrained the Trust’s flexibility to respond swiftly to emerging community needs, describing it as one of the major challenges encountered so far.
The high point of the event was the official flag-off by the paramount ruler of Eket, HRM Edidem E. C. D. Abia, who urged beneficiaries to seize the opportunity for self-reliance and long-term prosperity.
In their goodwill messages, the immediate past chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Archbishop Senator Helen Esuene, the chairman on the occasion, Chief Philip Asuama, and Chief Assam Usoro, commended the Trust for its achievements and encouraged beneficiaries to put the empowerment to productive use.
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