An intensive three-week empowerment and human capacity development (HCD) programme began at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Training Centre, Effurun, on Monday as 100 youths of Delta Central Senatorial District underwent appropriate formalities for training in scaffolding and rigging.
Sponsored by Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central) in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the programme covers training on equipment handling, installation methods, maintenance practices, safety procedures, and workplace hazard prevention. Each participant is to receive an internationally recognised certificate of competency as well as starter packs, which include important working tools, safety equipment, and other materials at the end of the training.
In a keynote address at the flag-off ceremony at PTI, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Assistant Manager, Government Relations and Stakeholder Engagements, Mr. Teddy Bai, commended Senator Dafinone for “conceptualizing and powering” what he termed a “timely intervention,” to equip youths with “core, safety-critical competencies required on every project site…from fabrication yards to offshore platforms.”
Engr. Ogbe noted that the vision of the Senator aligns with the mandate of the Board, which in October 2025 launched its Oil and Gas Field Readiness Training Programme for 10,000 young graduates and technicians in the top 10 high-demand skills in the industry.
He said the Field Readiness Programme is designed to equip Nigerian graduates with practical, marketable skills for the energy sector and beyond, and that scaffolding skills were similarly of wide application as they are required in diverse sectors of the economy.
The NCDMB boss told the consultant, Oroh Contractors Limited, that the Board expects nothing short of high professional standards in delivery, and that it should train the participants as if its reputation were dependent on the outcome of the programme. “We don’t share our brand with people unless we are sure of who we are dealing with,” he stated, while calling on everyone to view safety, competence, and discipline as non-negotiable.
He said Senator Dafinone deserved high commendation for the starter packs, noting that “Access to tools is often the difference between a skill and a job,” and that by removing that financial barrier, he was launching careers for the trainees, which is “empowerment in its truest sense.”
To the participants of the training programme, his message was, “This opportunity is your doorway into the [oil and gas] industry. Rigging and scaffolding will take you onto project sites, but your attitude will keep you there.”
In his own comments, the Chief of Staff to Senator Dafinone, Olorogun Adelabu Bojor, said the Distinguished Senator is always seeking the betterment of youths not only in Delta Central but in the entire Delta State, hence his collaboration with the NCDMB for the empowerment and HCD programme.
He emphasised that scaffolding is not restricted to the oil and gas industry and that the training would equip them to work in almost any industry. He urged participants to show seriousness and commitment to the training, while urging them to obey safety rules and regulations. “This is a starting point that can lead to great heights,” he told the participants.
Earlier in opening remarks, the Managing Director of Oroh Contractors, the training organisation, Chief Patrick Akamovba, expressed appreciation to the sponsor of the programme, Senator Dafinone, whom he described as civic-minded and ever desirous of the good of his people. “He is intentional in collaborating with the NCDMB,” he explained, while urging beneficiaries of the training to make the best use of the opportunity.
In his vote of thanks, Chief Akamovba expressed special appreciation to Engr. Ogbe for giving his company the opportunity to contribute to capacity development and for creating opportunities for youth employment and empowerment. He was similarly thankful to Senator Dafinone and his Chief of Staff who made time to attend the ceremony
