The NNPC/Seplat Energy Joint Venture (JV) has graduated its first cohort of teachers in Imo State under the Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP).
The programme equipped 127 teachers and education evaluators with digital skills, STEAM-focused teaching techniques and alternative income-generation skills to strengthen their professional development.
The maiden Imo State edition brought together teachers from communities across the state for an intensive, three-month training programme designed to go beyond conventional classroom instruction, covering digital learning, communications, entrepreneurship and skills development.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Director of External Affairs & Social Performance at Seplat Energy Plc, Chioma Afe, represented by General Manager Esther Icha, said the Joint Venture's investment in education stems from its belief that empowering teachers creates lasting impact in communities.
She said the STEP programme had previously trained more than 2,000 teachers in Edo and Delta States, with the Imo edition marking its first intervention in the state.
“Take the digital skills you have acquired into your classrooms, share your knowledge with fellow teachers, encourage your students to learn, explore and innovate,” Afe told the graduating teachers.
Governor Uzodinma, NUIMS Officials Commend Initiative
Representing the Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), Olanrewaju Igandan, Subsurface Operations Advisor Chizoba Onyike described the graduation as an investment in the future of host communities.
“Today is not just the graduation of trained teachers, it also means our impact in host communities. Because we very well know that if you educate the teachers, you empower the community,” Igandan said.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, represented by Commissioner for Education Professor B.T.O. Ikegwuoha, congratulated the participants and urged them to move beyond memorisation-based teaching toward practical, research-driven and skills-based learning, encouraging them to embody the STEP motto: “Teach. Inspire. Transform.”
Commissioner for Niger Delta Affairs and Intelligence, Henry Okafor, commended the JV’s commitment to community engagement, describing education as the foundation of individual and societal development.
Winning Entrepreneurs Take Home Cash Grants
The programme's entrepreneurship and innovation challenge saw 23 initial entries narrowed to 16 finalists, judged on problem-solution fit, market viability, financial feasibility and presentation, according to Permanent Secretary of the Imo State Ministry of Education, Dr Benedicta Okorie, who chaired the panel.
Nwachukwu Choice Oleji won the overall prize with a concept for antiseptic production, scoring 432 points and receiving a ₦500,000 cash grant.
Obinna Nnele placed second with an unripe plantain flour concept, scoring 425 points for a ₦300,000 grant, while Golden Ezekwe placed third with a braiding business concept, scoring 421 points for a ₦200,000 grant.
One of the two joint best graduating teachers, Samuel Chijoke, a mathematics teacher at Stella Maris Foundation School, Ohaji, said the programme equipped participants with knowledge and ICT resources they could apply directly in their classrooms.
The programme reflects the NNPC/Seplat Energy JV’s commitment to education and skills development across its areas of operation, aiming to strengthen educators and turn them into catalysts for change within their schools and communities.
