The Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) has signed a pact with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to boost the education and capacity levels of workers, and shore up the skill pool in the oil and gas industry.
OGTAN is the independent umbrella group of training services providers in the oil and gas sector established by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in 2010.
The body represents the education and training sectorial group of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF) under Section 58 of the NOGICD Act (2010), with the purpose to build local human capital capacity in the Nigerian oil and gas industry and act as a business group that interfaces with operators, international organizations and the Nigerian government.
OGTAN and NNPC officials, during the deal-sealing event in Abuja yesterday, stated that the manpower development programme will align with the guidelines of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to bridge the skill gap in the Oil and gas industry.
In his comments, the Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari said that the oil and gas industry is a sector that is driven by high level skills, maintaining that training and retraining of workers in the industry must be sustained to ensure sectoral healthy competition.
“We do need to work for our country because the human resource in Nigeria is limitless. We in the NNPC are determined to promote Nigerian content and we will do this by leading by example. Training and retraining in-country is cheaper, more effective and very conducive,” he said
The NNPC boss noted that the corporation was a major contributor to the activities of OGTAN, assuring that the partnership would continue to grow for the benefit of the nation’s oil and gas industry.
Earlier in his own comments, OGTAN President, Dr Mayowa Afe, averred that like China and India, Nigeria should be able to export her abundant human capital to other parts of the world, saying the association would work with the NNPC to raise the bar for education and training, particularly in the oil and gas sector.
He described Mallam Kyari as a well-known geologist who champions transparency, assuring him that OGTAN would cooperate with his management to ensure that he succeeds in his onerous task of adding value to the nation’s abundant hydrocarbon resources.Chibisi Ohakah
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