Oil firms tap grads for cheap labor, call it training
A training program backed by three Nigerian energy organizations has enrolled 100 recent university graduates for a two-year apprenticeship in the petroleum sector. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board partnered with Renaissance Africa Energy Company and the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria to launch the 2025-2027 initiative at a ceremony in Port Harcourt on an unspecified date.
Participants hold degrees in fields such as engineering, geology, computing and natural sciences. They will receive practical instruction at member firms of PETAN. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who serves as executive secretary at NCDMB, called the effort a strategic commitment to workforce development and domestic content expansion in the nation’s energy industry. His representative, Esueme Dan Kikile, emphasized that building worker skills remains central to the board’s mission and urged the trainees to approach their assignments with focus and commitment.
Renaissance Africa Energy’s general manager for Nigerian content development, Kene Akubue, highlighted the partnership as evidence of advancing cooperation within the sector. PETAN officials Okey Ukaegbu and Chinedu Maduaku stated the program aims to strengthen innovation and increase local involvement across oil and gas operations.
