“Certificates Without Skills”: Oil, Gas Leaders Warn On Nigeria’s Readiness For $20bn Wave of New Projects

‘NCDMB’s Felix Ogbe, ND Western’s Olanrewaju Kalejaiye, DG ITF, Dr. Afeez Oluwatoyin Ogun, OGTAN Pionner Chair Prof. Mike Onyekonwu,’ Who said what at Human Capital Development Confab

Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is staring at a talent crisis. Industry leaders, regulators and academics warned at the OGTAN Human Capital Development Conference in Warri that the country’s workforce is not ready for a fresh wave of deepwater and offshore projects now heading for Final Investment Decision.

The concern dominated Day 2 of the OGTAN HCD Conference and Expo in Delta State, during the panel “Setting the Agenda – Local Content & Human Capital under PIA 2021 & NOGICD.” Speakers said more than a decade of stalled investment has hollowed out Nigeria’s talent pipeline.

Engr. Felix Ogbe, Executive Secretary of NCDMB, admitted the industry went through a long drought of new FIDs. Represented by Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, Director of Capacity Building, he said Nigeria has “effectively lost nearly 15 years of investment” — long enough for an entire generation of graduates to miss proper industry training.

The problem, speakers said, is structural. Certificates are being awarded without competence. Classrooms are teaching theory without practical exposure. And the few skilled Nigerians left are “japa-ing” to regional and global markets faster than the country can replace them.

With renewed optimism under President Bola Tinubu’s policies and executive orders, major projects are now on the horizon. That makes workforce training urgent. NCDMB has identified 10 critical skill sets, with production and maintenance, plus control and automation, topping the demand list.

But quality remains a challenge. Ogbe noted feedback showing dissatisfaction with the skills actually being developed. Some service providers complained that trainees complete programmes just to collect certificates, not to acquire real skills. NCDMB said it will use NIN verification to close loopholes like trainees double-dipping NYSC and training allowances.

Operators echoed the warning. Mr. Olanrewaju Kalejaiye, MD/CEO of ND Western, said HCD is too often treated as a compliance box to tick. In reality, he argued, it determines whether Nigeria can safely produce hydrocarbons and deliver value. “Training should improve safety, reliability, cost performance and output growth,” he said.

Kalejaiye stressed that effective HCD must combine knowledge with field exposure. He called for intentional development of middle managers — “the instrument that converts strategy into reality” — and urged IOCs, indigenous firms and regulators to collaborate. He also noted brownfield assets up to 60 years old pose new challenges now that indigenous players no longer inherit full IOC technical support.

Dr. Afeez Oluwatoyin Ogun, DG of ITF, framed the crisis in demographic terms. Nigeria has about 138 million people, half under 30, with a fertility rate of 4.5. “Competence should be defined by the ability to do the job, not by the possession of a certificate,” he said, adding that skilled labour naturally moves to where it is best rewarded.

Ogun said Nigeria must shift from “local content” to “regional content.” With AfCFTA and Nigerian firms operating in 14 African countries, skills will cross borders. He called for apprenticeship models like Mercedes-Benz, entrepreneurship support, and training designed for Africa, not just Nigeria. He also proposed expanding NCDMB’s mandate beyond oil and gas into telecoms and other sectors.

From academia, Prof. Mike Onyekonwu, pioneer Chairman of OGTAN, said Nigerian graduates are “worthy raw material.” The gap is exposure to quality systems, digital skills, and commercial thinking. He called for universities to deploy digital resources, stop lecturer strikes, and make the first six months of engineering training IT-focused. He also demanded a national industry data repository so students can do real project research.

The message from Warri was blunt: the money is coming back, but the people are not ready. With fewer than 5% of OGTAN’s 400 members meeting benchmarks and compliance still largely “token,” stakeholders agreed the next phase must be practical, collaborative, and intentional. As Kalejaiye put it, “The future of the oil and gas industry will be shaped by the investments made today. Now is the time to act.”

NOP NIGERIA