The management of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is seeking strategic collaborations with key industry players to enhance its skills development initiatives in Ogoni.
In line with this objective, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, on October 9, 2026, led a delegation on a strategic engagement with the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dayo Mobereola, at the Agency’s headquarters in Lagos to discuss areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration.
During the meeting, Prof. Zabbey briefed the NIMASA DG on HYPREP’s mandate, ongoing interventions in Ogoniland, and its contributions to environmental restoration and sustainable livelihoods.
He highlighted the Project’s skills development initiatives aimed at increasing the participation of Ogoni youths and women in the maritime sector and called for an industry-specific partnership with NIMASA.
The Project Coordinator disclosed that HYPREP has trained 100 Ogoni persons in seafaring, and is currently training another 100 youths in Commercial Diving and Underwater Welding, as well as 100 others in Rope Access.
In his response, the NIMASA DG, Mobereola, commended HYPREP for its various environmental remediation and livelihood restoration programmes, particularly its investment in maritime-focused skills development.
Mobereola pledged the Agency’s readiness to collaborate with HYPREP, describing it as a significant step towards achieving the long-term goals of the Project.
The engagement is seen as a strategic collaboration between both institutions, with the potential to translate environmental restoration efforts into broader socio-economic benefits while supporting the growth of Nigeria’s blue economy.
