Nigeria’s oil and gas logistics giant, INTELS Nigeria Limited has graduated a fresh batch of 84 women under its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme known as the Women Empowerment Programme Scheme Synergy (WEPSS).
This is the second batch of women to benefit from the programme this year. In June, 80 women benefitted from the empowerment scheme.
Established in 2013, WEPSS was set up by INTELS to train Nigerian women in fashion design and tailoring. Since inception six years ago, no fewer than 1,200 women drawn from various communities across the country have graduated from the programme.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at the Federal Lighter Terminal, Onne, Rivers State on Wednesday, the General Manager, Legal and Corporate Services of INTELS Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mike Epelle, reiterated the company’s commitment to the empowerment of women.
He said, “This is a project that is very dear to the heart of our Group Chairman and of course the management of INTELS takes everything about the training going on here very seriously.”
Mr. Epelle commended the beneficiaries for successful completion of their training programme and urged them to make good use of the skills they have acquired during the course of the training.
“The fashion industry has really grown. In Nigeria, it is a big industry and you can make a living and take care of your needs in life if you apply yourself to what you have learnt and what you are going out to the society with. All you need to do is to be dedicated to your work. You can start small and sustain what you are doing.
“I understand there are over 100 intakes but 84 of you graduated, so I must commend you for your resilient. Some people don’t have the resilient to go through what you have gone through. It is a good starting point for you that you were able to see it through and acquire the skills,” he said.
WEPSS Project Head, Nancy Freeborn, congratulated the beneficiaries for working hard to achieve their dreams.
She charged the beneficiaries to “make INTELS proud by putting into use the skills that you have acquired”.
“It gives us a lot of joy when we go on our follow-up exercise and see people who are really putting into use the skills they have acquired,” she said.
Freeborn said in addition to tailoring skills, the beneficiaries are taught soft skills such as personal hygiene, business management, social ethics and responsibility.
“The kind of training our trainees receive here is comparable to international standards,” she added.
29 years old Maltina Thompson, who emerged best performing trainee was provided with a full start-up kit which include an industrial sewing machine, steam iron, chair, scissors, box of tailors’ chalk and measuring tape.
Thompson expressed appreciation to the management of INTELS for the kind gesture of impacting on women through the empowerment scheme even as she assured that the skills she acquired during the training would be put to good use.
INTELS is a leading port operator and Nigeria’s largest oil and logistics service company. The multiple awards winning company provides comprehensive integrated logistics services for the Nigerian oil and gas industry.