NEPL/Seplat JV Graduates 623 Teachers Under 2026 STEP Programme in Benin City
Winners of the 2026 Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, Benin City.
Six hundred and twenty-three teachers and education inspectors from across Edo and Delta States have completed the 2026 Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP), graduating from a joint initiative between NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) and Seplat Energy built to strengthen classroom instruction in host communities.
The ceremony was held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City and drew a wide turnout of government officials, industry representatives and international development partners, underlining how far the programme has grown since it began.
Chioma Afe, Seplat Energy's Director of External Affairs and Social Performance, challenged the graduating cohort to carry their training straight back into their classrooms, framing the work ahead as a genuine obligation rather than a talking point. Speaking on behalf of NEPL's Managing Director, Nicolas Foucart, Oluwaseyi Orimoloye described STEP as a partnership built around real social impact, one that leaves teachers with sharper critical thinking, stronger leadership habits, and practical comfort with technology-enabled teaching tools.
Why It Matters
Federal and state officials were united on one point: what these teachers carry home now shapes classrooms well beyond this cohort.
Government support for the programme came from several directions. Edo State Governor Senator Monday Okpebholor, represented by Finance Commissioner Engr. Emmanuel Okoebor, confirmed that STEP lines up directly with the state's own education priorities. The Honourable Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sai'd Ahmad, represented by Mrs. Caroline Ikem, went further, pressing graduates to pass their new knowledge on to colleagues since the country's education outcomes depend on exactly that kind of multiplier effect.
British Council Country Director Donna McGowan, represented by Chikodi Onyemerela, added a call for STEP and programmes like it to keep pushing further into digital skills and modern teaching methods as continuous professional development becomes less optional and more expected. Delta State's Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr. Kingsley Ashibogwu, and Edo State's Commissioner for Education, Dr. Emmanuel Paddy Iyamu, both praised the joint venture partners and encouraged the new graduates to cascade what they had learned throughout their schools rather than keep it to themselves.
One of the standout moments of the ceremony was the Teacher Innovation Contest, where participants pitched market-ready ideas they had developed over the course of the programme:
| Graduate | Innovation |
|---|---|
| Stephen Egbeburu | Eco "Fueless" Generator |
| Martin Nwaokoye | Learning Solutions — Digital Learning & Technology Solution Hub |
| Faith Igbayo | Live FaceFoods |
Egbeburu's generator explores off-grid power options for classrooms with unreliable electricity, while Nwaokoye's Learning Solutions platform focuses on giving teachers and pupils more structured, technology-enabled access to instructional resources. Igbayo's Live FaceFoods rounded out the winning entries with a practical food-tech application built around STEAM learning principles.
Launched in 2020, STEP has now trained 1,957 educators in total, combining STEAM-focused teaching methods, digital literacy, leadership development and ongoing mentorship to raise instructional quality across the JV's host communities.
Source:https://www.seplatenergy.com/news-insights/
