The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says the country’s oil and gas sector is facing a skills gap due to a drop in offshore investments over the past decade.
Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, the commission’s chief executive officer (CEO), spoke on Thursday at the inaugural human capital development (HCD) conference and expo 2026, organised by the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) in Warri, Delta state.
Eyesan said Nigeria needs a modern upstream workforce to attract foreign investments and help the country increase crude oil production to three million barrels per day (bpd) by 2030.
She said although the country attracted up to $26 billion in oil and gas investments in 2014, the figure had dropped to about $2 billion annually by 2023.
“In that period, the first that we lost were the geoscientists. So, once the budget cuts started, there was no more exploration so the geoscientists had to be offloaded,” Eyesan said.
“Then some petroleum engineers became casualties because for operators, it was no longer about drilling new wells but it was survival mode; just maintenance and what have you. Our infrastructure was heavily derated because we were not investing.
“Today we are attracting new investments and so we want to see an upward trajectory. It stands to reason that you must go back to the basics. First of all, we need the right competencies in sub-surface.”
However, she said the competencies required in the sector must now include digital skills.
“But what happened in 2014 is not what we are facing today because the digital age has taken over the business,” Eyesan said.
“So, you’re not just looking at a driller anymore. Today, you are talking about digital. You must know how to digitally drill.”
According to the NUPRC boss, the six priority competency areas requiring urgent attention include digitalisation, AI and data analytics; advanced subsurface and reservoir management; and commercial, fiscal and regulatory expertise.
She said the list also included gas development and energy transition competencies; asset integrity, health, safety and environment (HSE) and decommissioning management; and project leadership, stakeholder management and multidisciplinary collaboration.
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