Oando, NCDMB Move to Close Nigeria’s Drilling Skills Gap
By Akin Alade
As Nigerian companies assume greater control of oil and gas assets previously operated by international oil companies, Oando Energy Resources Nigeria Limited (OERNL) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) have intensified efforts to build the indigenous technical manpower needed to operate the country’s expanding energy assets.
The initiative comes through a 12-month specialised human capacity development programme designed to equip young Nigerians with drilling engineering, digital and practical oilfield skills.
OERNL, a subsidiary of Oando Plc, is implementing the programme in partnership with NCDMB and Hilong Oil Service & Engineering Nigeria Limited.
The programme commenced on September 4, 2026, in Port Harcourt and is expected to expose participants to both classroom instruction and practical on-the-job experience.
The intervention assumes greater significance as indigenous operators increasingly take ownership and operational responsibility for assets previously controlled by international oil companies, creating greater demand for Nigerians with specialised technical expertise.
Under the programme, beneficiaries will receive training in Basic Drilling Engineering Operations, Well Planning and Design, Measurement While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD), drilling rig operations and well-log data analytics.
Beyond conventional petroleum engineering skills, participants will also receive training in entrepreneurship, business management and digital competencies to prepare them for opportunities across the broader energy value chain.
A major feature of the initiative is its connection to an actual oilfield operation rather than limiting beneficiaries to classroom instruction.
The training is linked to turnkey Joint Venture services for the workover and recompletion of the Obiafu 44 well, providing participants with an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in a real operational environment.
Manager, Nigerian Content Division at Oando Energy Resources Nigeria Limited, Deji Agboola, described the programme as an important opportunity for beneficiaries to develop the expertise required to contribute to Nigeria’s energy industry.
According to him, the partnership involving Oando, NCDMB and Hilong has provided participants with an opportunity to acquire skills that can enable them to contribute meaningfully to the future of the oil and gas industry and Nigeria’s development.
The programme also highlights a crucial challenge confronting Nigeria’s growing indigenous petroleum sector: acquiring oil and gas assets without simultaneously developing the manpower capable of efficiently operating them could undermine the benefits of increased local ownership.
With indigenous energy companies assuming larger operational roles, investment in knowledge transfer, succession planning and specialised technical expertise has become increasingly important.
Representing NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Board’s General Manager, Human Capacity Development, Mrs Alexis Emelle, described the initiative as an investment not only in the beneficiaries but also in the future of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
The collaboration is expected to help bridge the longstanding gap between academic knowledge and practical industry competence by exposing young professionals to real-life drilling operations.
For Nigeria, the significance goes beyond producing another group of trained graduates. Developing Nigerians capable of handling sophisticated drilling, data analytics, well planning and other specialised operations is central to retaining more petroleum-sector value within the domestic economy.
As local companies expand their footprints in the upstream sector, programmes linking technical training directly with operational assets could become increasingly important in ensuring that indigenous ownership is supported by indigenous expertise.
