Nigeria needs an estimated $6 billion investment in oil and gas equipment to achieve its production target of three million barrels per day, while an escalating brain drain threatens the availability of skilled professionals needed to operate the assets, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) has observed.
PETAN President, Mr. Wole Ogunsanya, disclosed this at a media roundtable in Lagos, where he called for aggressive investment in equipment, technical education and human capacity development to sustain the growth of the oil and gas industry.
He warned that experienced Nigerian professionals were increasingly being recruited by oil-producing countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, creating a manpower gap that could undermine the country’s production ambitions.
“The best of our experienced Nigerians in the oil and gas industry are being recruited by Qatar, Saudi and others for their industry. This poaching is creating a huge gap that needs to be filled. It clearly shows that those countries too need them,” he said.
Ogunsanya linked the challenge partly to the divestment of international oil companies (IOCs) from onshore assets, noting that the multinationals had historically played a significant role in training Nigeria’s leading oil and gas professionals.
According to him, many of the industry’s experienced personnel acquired their expertise through training and employment with international operators.
“If you do a head count of top fliers in the industry, in every 10, about eight of them were once trained by the IOCs. Now that the multinationals are divesting, who takes charge?” he asked.
He urged indigenous companies acquiring divested assets to establish comprehensive training programmes to develop the next generation of Nigerian engineers, technicians and other specialised professionals.
The PETAN president stressed that Nigeria had sufficient young talent to replenish the industry’s workforce, but called for deliberate efforts to attract graduates into oil and gas careers and equip them with practical skills.
“The issue is not that we don’t have young graduates that can be in the oil and gas industry. The issue is how do we get these young graduates to come into the industry,” he said.
He challenged companies taking over assets previously operated by IOCs to demonstrate what programmes they had introduced to train and prepare new entrants for the sector.
Ogunsanya emphasised that investment in equipment must go hand in hand with manpower development, warning that the country could struggle to sustain higher production if it lacked qualified personnel to operate, maintain and manage its facilities.
He, however, expressed confidence in the progress made by indigenous oilfield service companies, saying local firms had developed capabilities across different segments of the service value chain.
According to him, their growing expertise and competitive pricing have reduced the need for foreign companies to dominate the oil services market.
“We are providing services that are cheaper and of high quality,” he said.
He also commended the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for supporting indigenous capacity through its one per cent funding mechanism for equipment acquisition.
Ogunsanya cited the WalterSmith modular refinery as an example of the benefits of local content interventions, noting that continued support would help Nigerian companies expand their capabilities.
He said sustaining the gains would require access to modern equipment, affordable financing, a supportive business environment and consistent investment in technical education, vocational training and knowledge transfer.
Also speaking, PETAN Publicity Secretary, Dr. Joan Faluyi, said developing Nigerian technical capacity must remain central to discussions about the industry’s future.
She explained that indigenous capacity involved having engineers solve complex problems, technicians maintain critical equipment and fabricators deliver projects safely, reliably and competitively.
Faluyi said stronger local participation could boost employment, improve skills and increase the value Nigeria retains from its petroleum resources.
She urged stakeholders to consider how investment could create more opportunities for capable Nigerian companies, strengthen their technical expertise and provide young people with practical experience to build lasting careers in the sector.
She described the roundtable as an opportunity to improve understanding between the oil and gas industry and the media, stressing the importance of mutual respect and independent judgment.
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