The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has raised a red flag over Nigeria’s growing shortage of skilled energy workers, warning that the country could lose its grip on the future of its own energy sector if urgent action is not taken.
The company said the rapid changes reshaping the oil and gas industry — from the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to the Decade of Gas initiative, increased participation of local firms and the global shift towards cleaner energy — were creating a huge demand for technical experts that Nigeria was struggling to produce.
NNPC’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Kazachiyang Nuhu, issued the warning at the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) Human Capital Development Conference and Expo held in Warri, Delta State.
Nuhu said the energy industry was entering a new era where technology, artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation were changing the skills required to remain competitive.
He warned that without urgent investment in workforce development, Nigeria risked becoming a mere consumer rather than a key player in the emerging global energy market.
“Reskill, reposition or risk becoming a spectator in our own industry,” Nuhu told stakeholders at the conference.
According to him, the industry was facing multiple challenges, including an ageing workforce, increasing migration of skilled professionals abroad, popularly known as “japa”, and a widening gap between what schools teach and the practical skills employers need.
He said many graduates enter the job market without the technical abilities required to contribute effectively from their first day at work.
The NNPC executive also listed other obstacles threatening the sector’s growth, including poor safety practices, crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, metering challenges, ageing infrastructure, project delays, environmental compliance issues and shortages of expertise in digital oilfield operations.
He stressed that the future energy workforce must be equipped with skills in artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance, renewable energy integration, gas-to-power technology, carbon markets, energy economics and sustainable finance.
Nuhu said training programmes could no longer be based on outdated manuals but must reflect real-life industry demands.
He urged training providers to embrace modern learning tools such as simulators, digital twins, virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence to prepare workers for the future.
The NNPC chief human resources officer said every investment in training must produce measurable results, including safer operations, better-skilled employees and improved business performance.
He also disclosed that the company would review its relationship with training providers, insisting that only those preparing workers for the future direction of the industry would be considered.
“We will partner only with trainers who teach the industry we are becoming, not the one we are leaving behind,” he said.
Nuhu added that NNPC was already strengthening its workforce through professional development programmes, career pathways, mentorship, leadership training and knowledge transfer initiatives.
He argued that the success of Nigerian content should not be judged by the number of Nigerians employed on projects, but by the number of Nigerians capable of leading world-class energy ventures.
“Not how many Nigerians were hired, but how many world-class Nigerians led the project,” he said.
Meanwhile, OGTAN President, Chris Osarunmewense, said solving Nigeria’s energy workforce challenge required cooperation among government agencies, regulators, oil companies, training institutions and universities.
Osarunmewense said the association organised the 2026 conference in Warri to highlight the city’s historic role in Nigeria’s petroleum industry and showcase the Niger Delta as a centre of technical talent and innovation.
He said Warri was chosen deliberately because the region had contributed immensely to Nigeria’s exploration, production, processing and petroleum services sector.
The OGTAN president added that human capital development was a continuous process that required identifying and nurturing talent capable of driving the industry forward.
He stressed that no single organisation could bridge the skills gap alone, urging stakeholders across the energy value chain to work together to build the workforce Nigeria needs for the future.
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