PETAN raises concern over skills gap amid IOCs divestments, retirement age
By Genevieve Aningo
Engr. Wole Ogunsanya, Chairman of Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), has raised serious concerns regarding the emerging skills gap in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry as experienced professionals retire and international oil companies (IOCs) divest their assets to indigenous companies.
Speaking at a media roundtable, organized by the association, themed “The State of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry: Opportunities and Challenges,” Ogunsanya said the IOCs’ divestments have weakened the training structures that have historically produced Nigeria’s best oil and gas professionals.
He noted that companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, TotalEnergies and Agip, along with service firms like Schlumberger and Baker Hughes, trained many of Nigeria’s leading oil and gas professionals through overseas postings and structured programmes.
He said among the top ten oil and gas professionals in Nigeria, seven or eight would have gained experience at one of these multinational companies.
He stated that NNPC routinely sent its personnel to ExxonMobil, Chevron and TotalEnergies for training.
He also noted that Shell Nigeria employees once benefited from training and postings in The Hague, the United States, and Malaysia.
According to him, the arrangement is now strained as almost all onshore, swamp and shallow-water assets are now owned and managed by Nigerian indigenous companies.
“Who is going to train the new generation of Nigerians that are coming behind to take over and operate those assets?” he asked.
“We have a huge gap between training new Nigerians today to replace those who were trained 60 years ago,” he said, noting that the industry requires large numbers of young people to drill wells and lay pipelines.
In addition, PETAN Chairman stressed that most experienced professionals are approaching retirement age, and some operators are bringing back older workers to keep operations running.
He added that Nigerian skilled workers are being recruited overseas in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, further deepening the skill gap in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
He mentioned that every state in Nigeria has at least two universities, including engineering schools and the country doesn’t lack talent.
However, he underscored the need in motivating young people to pursue careers in oil and gas and ensuring they receive top-notch training once they come on board.
He therefore called for stronger advocacy to show young Nigerians the opportunities in the industry, ranging from fabrication and welding to offshore operations, drilling, and pipeline construction.
Speaking further, he called on indigenous companies to develop structured training programmes that match what the IOCs once offered to sustain the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
For PETAN, he revealed that the association recruits about 100 engineers every two years and deploys them to member companies, where they are trained and equipped.
According to him, after two years, PETAN members retain more than 60% of them.
He also notes that PETAN members are involved in the programme being structured by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.
He stated that PETAN is developing a world-class training facility in Port Harcourt, which will be equipped with oil and gas equipments including rigs.
He disclosed that the center could train 100 Nigerians for every 10 that a company like Shell would send abroad.
PETAN Chairman emphasized that tackling the skills gap is crucial for Nigeria to reach its ambitious target of producing 3 million barrels of crude oil daily. He urged industry players to recognize this challenge and work together to develop effective solutions.
He added that Nigeria could position itself as the world’s leading supplier of oil and gas manpower, as many countries in the West are now turning to technology firms rather than oil and gas.
