NEPL/Seplat JV Onboards 650 Teachers Across Edo, Delta for 2025 STEP Programme

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.
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’, delighted the participants with her background and 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 asserted that, “A teacher is a professional who facilitates learning, guiding students to acquire knowledge, develop competencies, and grow intellectually and emotionally.”
She inspired the 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.
On his part, the representative of Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr Paddy Iyamu commended the Seplat JV for the initiative and stimulated the participants, whom he described as privileged as “these are the kinds of lecture packages people go to Dubai and pay top dollar for”.
He urged them to keep faith with the programme to the finish line because “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 added 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.
Gov Okpebholo further charged the participants to not just teach, but strive to be good role models to stem the wave of moral decadence and end the poverty cycle ravaging the society. “I want you to consciously commit to changing the lives of the students entrusted to you positively,” he added.
In the same vein, Director, Corporate Services, Seplat Energy Plc, Dr Steve Ojeh charged the participants to propel their careers from within with determination, increased curiosity, willingness to learn and embrace new ideas so as to impact strongly on the society.
Dr Ojeh, who presented a well-research paper on ‘Leadership and Self Development’, impressed it on 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 to August 1, 2025.
Convened at the Miriam Babangida Leisure Park on Anwai-Ugbolu Road in Asaba, this workshop reinforces the NEPL/Seplat Energy JV’s commitment to a replicable and sustainable model of educational impact across both of its core host states.
At the Asaba session, the Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, who was represented by the Director, Schools, Ministry of Basic  and Secondary Education, Ighavbota Winifred, applauded the Seplat JV for the initiative,
Highlighting the state’s continued support for the initiative, Ezewo charged the participants to take the training seriously because it would have long-term impact on, not just academic fortunes, but on the general well-being of the society.
According to Ezewo, many ills befalling the Nigerian society can be traced to the quality of education given to the current generation. “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. We encourage the participants to be serious and make the most of the opportunity,” she added.
Launched in 2020, the STEP has empowered 1,334 teachers and CIEs across Edo and Delta States through its signature blend of STEAM-focused training, capacity building, and long-term mentorship. The programme structure combines an intensive onboarding experience with a four-month virtual learning supported by a mobile app and web-based platform.
The onboarding workshops serve to immerse participants in sessions covering leadership development, emotional intelligence, STEAM pedagogy, and digital preparedness for 21st-century classrooms. Educators also engage in collaborative group work, designing school-based projects they will execute during the mentorship phase.
By convening cohorts from Edo and Delta for structured onboarding, the NEPL/Seplat JV once again reinforces its long-term vision for educational transformation. With over 1,334 alumni already contributing to improved student outcomes across both states, the STEP stands as a model of how well-designed, community-rooted CSI initiatives can drive measurable impact in line with Nigeria’s education priorities—including SDG 4: Quality Education.
The 2025 onboarding phase is poised to extend this legacy—equipping a new cohort of educators to become catalysts for change in schools, communities, and the future of Nigeria’s knowledge economy.