N200m HYPREP Scholarship: 300 Ogoni Postgraduate Students Benefit from Scholarship Scheme.

Keep up with the latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing; follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates. Click to Follow us

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has awarded N200 million worth of scholarship grants to 300 postgraduate students from Ogoniland, comprising 200 Master’s and 100 PhD students. The beneficiaries were selected through a transparent process that began in October 2024.

According to Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, Project Coordinator of HYPREP, the beneficiaries were selected based on merit, demonstrating HYPREP’s commitment to fairness, transparency, and inclusivity. “HYPREP believes that education is a transformative tool that can unlock new opportunities and create sustainable alternative sources of livelihood for oil-impacted communities in Ogoniland,” Professor Zabbey said.

Each of the 100 PhD beneficiaries received N1 million, while the 200 Master’s students got N500,000 each. The project coordinator charged the beneficiaries to contribute to HYPREP’s ongoing environmental and livelihood restoration efforts by promoting peace and development at the community level. “Your role as postgraduate students is beyond academia. You are peacebuilders who must promote unity, collaboration, and peaceful coexistence within Ogoni communities and beyond,” Professor Zabbey stressed.

HYPREP’s Head of Sustainable Livelihood, Mrs. Josephine Nzidee, outlined the project’s various livelihood intervention programs, including support for 2,000 Ogoni farmers, research grants for 200 final-year students, and the establishment of 20 Environment Clubs. The project will also provide specialized skill training in areas such as seafaring, creative arts, electronics, commercial diving, and cybersecurity.

The scholarship grant award ceremony was attended by prominent dignitaries, including the Director, Technical Services, Professor Damien-Paul Aguiyi, and HRM King (DR.) T.Y. Suanu Baridam, Gbenemene Ancient Bangha Kingdom. 

The selection process was transparent, with a total of 837 candidates registering for the program and 766 of them showing up for the aptitude test. After the test, 474 candidates qualified for the verification process, which was the final stage of the selection process.

The Managing Director of Pa-Ed Multilinks Consulting, the consultant for the scholarship grant, reiterated the transparency of the process. He noted that the results of the selection process showed a good spread across the four local government areas (LGAs) of Khana, Gokana, Eleme, and Tai. “Khana had the highest success rate, with 45% of its candidates emerging successful, followed by Gokana with 29%, Eleme with 15%, and Tai with 10%,” he said.

The registration statistics also reflected a similar spread, with Khana accounting for 45% of the total registration, followed by Gokana with 30.9%, Eleme with 23.7%, and Tai with 11.2%.

Professor Zabbey attributed the successes recorded by HYPREP to the cooperation of the Ogoni community and the commitment of all project stakeholders. He announced that a significant number of HYPREP’s projects will be completed this year, including soil and groundwater remediation, shoreline cleanup, and mangrove restoration.

Other projects to be completed this year include the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, Buan Cottage Hospital, and the Ogoni Power Projects. “We will also launch new initiatives to create jobs and strengthen the employability capacity of Ogoni youth and women,” Professor Zabbey added.

The scholarship grant award ceremony was attended by prominent dignitaries, including AIG Emmanuel Effiom (Rtd.) and Chief Stephen Kpean.

Please don’t forget to “allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it. 
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.