THE NNPC/Seplat Energy Joint Venture has graduated its inaugural cohort of teachers in Imo State under the Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP), equipping 127 educators and evaluators with digital skills, STEAM-focused teaching methodologies and alternative income-generation capabilities.
The maiden Imo edition, which brought together teachers from communities across the state for an intensive three-month training programme, was designed to extend far beyond conventional classroom instruction. Participants received practical training in digital learning, communications, entrepreneurship and skills development, with a view to applying their newfound knowledge in both their classrooms and wider communities.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Director of External Affairs and Social Performance at Seplat Energy Plc, Chioma Afe, represented by the General Manager of Corporate Social Investment and Social Performance, Esther Icha, said the Joint Venture’s investment in education was driven by its conviction that empowering teachers represented one of the most effective means of creating lasting impact in host communities.
Mrs Afe noted that STEP had previously been rolled out in Edo and Delta States, where more than 2,000 teachers had been trained and empowered, adding that the Imo edition marked the programme’s first intervention in the state.
She explained that the programme had been deliberately crafted to transcend conventional teaching skills by equipping educators with digital competencies to integrate technology into teaching and learning, enhance productivity and better prepare students for an increasingly digital world.
Mrs Afe also underscored the programme’s emphasis on alternative sources of income, stressing that economic empowerment could bolster teachers’ financial resilience, foster entrepreneurship and provide avenues for additional earnings beyond their primary profession.
Addressing the graduating teachers, she urged them to view their certificates not as the conclusion of their journey, but as the beginning of a greater responsibility to apply their knowledge and share it with others.
“Take the digital skills you have acquired into your classrooms, share your knowledge with fellow teachers, encourage your students to learn, explore and innovate,” she said.
She challenged the teachers to become exemplars of responsible entrepreneurship and financial empowerment within their communities, stressing that the true measure of the programme would be the impact created after graduation.
“The true measure of this programme will be in the impact you create after today: the students you inspire, the colleagues you support and the communities you influence,” Mrs Afe added.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), Olanrewaju Igandan, the Subsurface Operations Advisor, Chizoba Onyike, said the graduation represented more than the mere completion of a teacher-training programme, describing it as an investment in the future of host communities.
He noted that teachers serve as critical conduits through which knowledge and opportunity are transferred to younger generations.
“Today is not just the graduation of trained teachers; it also signifies our impact in host communities. Because we very well know that if you educate the teachers, you empower the community,” Mr Igandan said.
He thanked the partners, facilitators, government representatives and other stakeholders who contributed to the programme’s success and wished the graduating teachers well in their future endeavours.
Also speaking, the Executive Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, represented by the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Professor B.T.O. Ikegwuoha, congratulated the participants and expressed delight at the Joint Venture’s continued commitment to educational development in the state.
