Business
NNPC Ltd Expresses Concern for Dearth of Skills in Energy Sector
Nigeria’s widening energy workforce and technical skills gap has left the country on the verge of losing control of its energy future unless the matter is addressed with the urgency it deserves.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) raised the concerns on Thursday at the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) HCD Conference and Expo in Warri, Delta State.
The Chief Human Resources Officer, NNPC Limited, Kazachiyang Nuhu, observed the convergence of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Decade of Gas, which raised participation by local operators and the global energy transition already created higher demand for technical talent that the industry was struggling to supply.
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In a presentation at the OGTAN conference, Nuhu maintained that the changing energy landscape, driven by policy, market shifts, technology and changing expectations of younger workers, had created a technical talent demand that Nigeria could not afford to ignore.
He said artificial intelligence, digitalisation and automation were compressing skill cycles, while capital was increasingly moving towards liquefied natural gas, cleaner molecules and low-carbon opportunities.
Nuhu warned that unless the workforce was urgently reskilled and repositioned, Nigeria could lose its ability to effectively participate in the emerging energy economy.
“Reskill, reposition or risk becoming a spectator in our own industry,” he told stakeholders at the conference.
He identified workforce and skills gaps, an ageing workforce and brain drain, commonly referred to as ‘japa’, among the major challenges confronting the industry.
He also identified a widening disconnect between academia and industry, particularly the gap between what was taught in educational institutions and what the industry required from employees from day one.
Other challenges highlighted included weak safety culture, spills and flaring; vandalism, crude theft, surveillance and metering gaps; supply of quality materials and equipment; ageing assets, reliability and project overruns; digital oilfield and environmental, social and governance skills; as well as refinery operations, product quality, LPG safety and trade finance.
Nuhu noted that the solution required a fundamental shift in how human capital development was approached across the industry, noting that training must become more closely linked to production, safety, reliability and cost, while programmes must be based on current field realities rather than generic manuals.
He called for training to be benchmarked against global standards and supported by emerging technologies such as simulators, digital twins, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. “Every naira spent on training must translate to a safer plant, a skilled employee, and a stronger balance sheet,” he added.
Nuhu disclosed that the NNPC Ltd would also change the basis on which it engaged training providers, stressing that trainers must understand the direction in which the industry was heading. “We will partner only with trainers who teach the industry we are becoming, not the one we are leaving behind,” he said.
He said the company was already developing its workforce through initial professional development, career pathways, industry exposure, leadership pipelines, mentorship and knowledge transfer.
According to him, the ultimate measure of Nigerian content should be whether Nigerians were acquiring the expertise required to lead major projects to international standards, saying, “Not how many Nigerians were hired, but how many world-class Nigerians led the project.”
Nuhu argued that true local content should be measured by expertise rather than percentages, with future industry needs spanning technical, digital, commercial and human capabilities.
He said this would include skills in renewable integration, gas-to-power, AI, predictive maintenance, energy economics, carbon markets, sustainable finance, adaptive leadership and systems thinking.
He challenged Nigeria to determine whether it would become a contributor or merely a consumer of the future energy economy. He called on industry players, trainers and academia to move from parallel efforts towards a unified capacity compact.
OGTAN President, Chris Osarunmewense, stressed that the association was seeking to sustain conversations around how Nigeria could develop a workforce capable of delivering on the promises of companies operating in the oil and gas industry.
Osarunmewense said human capital development was a continuous process that required the industry to recognise and nurture people’s potential.
“Human capital develops by progression. At OGTAN, therefore, we treasure the potential of people who have developed human capital in nature to effectively operate within the oil and gas industry,” the OGTAN boss said.
He added that the conference was designed to bring stakeholders together and discuss the ways to address the skill gaps in the industry. According to him, the decision to hold the 2026 conference in Warri, rather than Lagos or Abuja, was deliberate, given the city’s place in the history and development of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
“For us, this choice was meaningful. Warri is not simply a venue; it is part of the history of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry,” he added.
Osarunmewense said the Niger Delta had for decades remained at the heart of Nigeria’s petroleum industry, with the region’s history of exploration, production, processing, services, technical manpower and community development deeply intertwined with the country’s broader energy economy.
The OGTAN president said the association wanted international participants to experience the Niger Delta not merely as a geographical location associated with petroleum production but as a region with talent, enterprise, technical expertise, institutions, communities and significant human capital potential.
He said the collaboration with the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) further strengthened Warri’s suitability for the conference because of the institute’s role in technical and professional training in the petroleum sector.
Osarunmewense noted that the industry’s human capital challenges could not be resolved by any single stakeholder, stressing the need for collaboration across the value chain.
“The challenges before the industry are too complex for any single organisation to solve. The government alone cannot solve it. Regulators cannot solve it alone. Oil and gas companies cannot solve it alone. Training providers cannot solve it alone. Universities and technical institutions cannot do so alone either. We need collaboration across the value chain,” he emphasised.
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to commence the process of cleaning up an oil spill that has devastated Uzere Kingdom in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The order was contained in a ruling in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/132/2026, filed by Eric Omare Chambers on behalf of the Ovie of Uzere Kingdom, Udogri Isaac I, who is the applicant representing the Uzere Traditional Council and the entire Uzere community.
In the ruling delivered on Thursday, Justice Adamu Mohammed emphasised the need “to protect the environment and ensure compliance with due process.”
While directing the defendants to “clean up the affected sites and take measures to protect the environment from further harm”, the judge also ordered that “all ongoing oil and gas operations by the defendants in the Uzere Kingdom should be halted pending the resolution of the motion on notice.”
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During the hearing, counsel for the plaintiff, N.O. Akporuvweku of E.K. Omare and Co. Chambers, emphasised that the court had previously directed the defendants to show cause regarding the environmental damage and that the necessary documents had been served.
The defendants, represented by O.O. Jarikre and Akomaye, acknowledged receipt of the motion and confirmed that discussions between the parties had been productive, with no objections raised to the application.
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Justice Mohammed directed the defendants to file an interim compliance report with the court within 14 days.
The deadline, an extension from the initially proposed seven days, revealed the court’s commitment to ensuring that effective measures were swiftly taken to address the ecological damage caused by the oil spill.
The court’s decision was greeted with jubilation by residents of Uzere, who have long suffered the environmental and economic consequences of oil spills.
High Chief Odio Lucky, representing the plaintiff, said the ruling “represents a victory for the Kingdom.”
He added that “it is a critical step in safeguarding the livelihoods and health of the people.”
Uzere Kingdom is in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.
It is a historic oil-producing community and hosts two major oil fields, Uzere East and Uzere West, with dozens of wells, commonly reported as about 43 wells producing around 53,000 barrels per day.
Multiple reports confirm a blowout/eruption at Well 14 in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 30, operated by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited, also referred to as Heritage Operational Energy Limited or HEOSL.
Contamination of farmland, waterways, fishing grounds, and effects on livelihoods are documented by residents, community leaders, and groups.
Concerns persisted into early August 2026. Many community leaders called for urgent containment, remediation, and public release of investigation findings, according to reports.
Nigeria must urgently invest in developing a highly skilled workforce to secure its energy future, reduce unemployment and curb capital flight arising from the importation of foreign expertise.
The Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Prof. Shuaibu Aliyu, made the assertion at the PENGASSAN Energy and Labour Summit (PEALS) 2026, in Abuja.
According to Aliyu, the changing global energy landscape, driven by renewable energy, gas-led industrialisation and decarbonisation, required deliberate efforts to prepare Nigerian workers for the emerging energy economy.
“Nigeria’s energy challenge is a human capital challenge. The workforce we need will not emerge by accident; it must be deliberately trained, supported, and empowered,” he said in his keynote address at the summit.
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He said the workforce that built Nigeria’s conventional oil and gas industry must evolve into a hybrid energy workforce capable of operating across traditional petroleum and emerging energy technologies.
Aliyu maintained that Nigeria’s energy security would depend not only on its oil and gas reserves but also on the capacity of Nigerians to develop, operate, maintain and regulate the infrastructure required to harness those resources.
The PTDF boss said the Fund was repositioning its human-capital development programmes to meet the changing requirements of the energy industry and the wider West African energy market.
He said PTDF would continue to invest in technical education, vocational training, apprenticeships, digital skills and continuous professional development, with emphasis on renewable energy, automation, data management, energy efficiency and other emerging technologies.
Aliyu added that the Fund was collaborating with universities and technical colleges to modernise curricula and equip graduates with skills in areas including solar technology, hydrogen development, energy economics, carbon capture and digital grid management.
He said PTDF was also strengthening partnerships with international universities, local industries and clean-energy developers to expose Nigerian scholars and trainees to modern energy technologies.
The Executive Secretary said the Fund was committed to equipping Nigerian institutions with modern laboratories and research infrastructure to transform them into regional centres of innovation.
“When we build the workforce, we build the nation,” he said, stressing that optimal energy production, reduced capital flight and lower unemployment could not be achieved without a well-trained workforce.
Increased investment in domestic refining, gas processing and critical petroleum infrastructure have been identified as essential to strengthening Nigeria’s energy security, job creation and unlocking the economic potential.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) shared these views at the PENGASSAN Energy and Labour Summit (PEALS) 2026, in Abuja.
According to the Authority, expanding infrastructure for storage, transportation, distribution and petrochemicals would enable Nigeria to retain more value from its oil and gas resources, support industrialisation and reduce dependence on external sources.
The NMDPRA Chief Executive, Rabiu Umar, represented by the Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration, NMDPRA, Sadiq Bashir, said Nigeria’s long-term economic advantage would increasingly depend on its ability to convert crude oil and natural gas resources into value within the domestic economy.
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He maintained that investments in domestic refining, gas processing, petrochemicals, storage, transportation and distribution infrastructure would strengthen energy security, create employment and support industrial development.
According to Umar, the capital-intensive nature of the petroleum industry makes regulatory certainty critical to attracting and sustaining investment.
“Investments in refineries, gas processing facilities, pipelines, depots, storage terminals and other critical infrastructure require significant capital and long-term planning.
“Where regulation is uncertain or unnecessarily complex, investment decisions are delayed and the cost of doing business rises,” he said.
Umar said the NMDPRA was committed to providing clear regulations, efficient processes, effective monitoring and consistent enforcement, supported by technology and constructive engagement with stakeholders.
He said the Authority’s regulatory philosophy was anchored on three principles: “Firm in Regulation, Fair in Conduct and Fast in Execution.”
He explained that being firm in regulation involved upholding the law, enforcing standards, protecting safety and preserving market integrity.
“Fair in Conduct means applying the rules consistently, listening to stakeholders and ensuring that regulatory decisions are transparent, objective and free from arbitrary changes,” he said.
On the need for faster regulatory processes, Umar said unnecessary delays created uncertainty, increased the cost of doing business and constrained investment and economic growth.
He also linked increased investment in petroleum infrastructure to employment generation, saying expansion across refining, gas processing, transportation, storage and distribution would create opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled Nigerian workers.
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