The NEPL/Seplat Energy Joint Venture has onboarded 650 teachers and Chief Inspectors of Education (CIE) in Edo and Delta States as part of its 2025 Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP).
This began with a two-day workshop in Benin City, with sessions expected to mark the transformative journey of teachers upskilling and professional development, with both Edo and Delta States having 325 participants each. The 650 participants were drawn from over 4,666 applicants who took part in an online selection process.
According to a statement by Seplat, the onboarding workshop is the critical foundation phase where collaborative dynamics, programme orientation, and android tablets are seeded ahead of the four-month virtual training and mentorship programme, which leads to Microsoft certification. The Seplat JV provides the participants with data throughout the duration of the training for seamless internet access.
At the first leg of the workshop held in Benin City, the Edo State capital, Chioma Afe, Director of External Affairs & Social Performance at Seplat Energy, welcomed the new cohort, encouraged them to take the training seriously and outlined the strategic significance of both phases of the training.
Afe, who presented a paper on ‘Communication for Change – Teachers as Agents of Change’, shared a strategic communication code, “the 7-c’s of communication”, including clarity, conciseness, consideration, completeness, courtesy, concreteness, and correctness, with them.
The code was vital as she noted that, “A teacher is a professional who facilitates learning, guiding students to acquire knowledge, develop competencies, and grow intellectually and emotionally.”
She urged participants to embrace their roles as agents of change, grab the opportunity with both hands and improve themselves continuously both for personal benefits, for the good of the students and the society.
In the same vein, the Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, who represented Governor Monday Okpebholo, commended the Seplat JV for the initiative. Describing the participants as privileged, he noted that, “These are the kinds of lecture packages people go to Dubai and pay top dollar for.”
“In Edo State, we want to make sure that our teachers are packed with excellence, because the quality of the teachers impact the quality of the students,” he stated, adding that the state government would follow up with the Seplat JV to verify those who completed the online course.
“We are going to take your names and crosscheck with the Seplat JV for completion. Have it at the back of your minds that you play a very fundamental role in the lives of Nigerian students and the nation’s future,” he stated.
He also advised participants to serve as role models in their communities. “I want you to consciously commit to changing the lives of the students entrusted to you positively,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, Director of Corporate Services at Seplat Energy, Dr. Steve Ojeh, who presented a paper titled “Leadership and Self Development”. urged the participants to be passionate, intentional and ambitious in their career pursuits.
Following the Edo State onboarding held on July 28–29, the Delta State edition followed between July 31 and August 1 at the Miriam Babangida Leisure Park on Anwai-Ugbolu Road in Asaba.
The Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, represented by the Director of Schools, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Ighavbota Winifred, commended the Seplat JV and reiterated the state government’s support for the programme.
“We are very pleased to welcome the Seplat JV’s STEP initiative because we are looking at the long-term benefits for Delta State and Nigeria in general,” she said. “We encourage the participants to be serious and make the most of the opportunity.”
Since its launch in 2020, the STEP initiative has trained 1,334 teachers and CIEs in Edo and Delta States. The programme focuses on STEAM education, leadership, emotional intelligence, and digital skills for 21st-century classrooms.
During the onboarding phase, participants also engage in group work to design school-based projects, which they will implement during the mentorship stage.
