Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, Engr. Wole Ogunsanya warned at the OGTAN Human Capital Development Conference in Effurun, Warri, Delta State, that Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is losing experienced mid-career professionals to international markets, creating a troubling gap in the country’s technical talent pipeline.

Ogunsanya’s warning, delivered through Dr Joan Faluyi, Chief Executive Officer of Offshore Dimensions and PETAN Publicity Secretary, placed the industry’s workforce challenge beyond the familiar question of graduate employment.

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PETAN says the country continues to produce capable university graduates and retains highly experienced senior professionals. The more serious weakness, according to the association, sits between those two groups.

“The problem lies in what happens in between,” Ogunsanya said.

PETAN identified professionals with between 10 and 15 years of experience as particularly vulnerable to the international pull.

The group includes drilling engineers, completions specialists, remotely operated vehicle supervisors, and metering and instrumentation leads.

The concern is significant because these professionals occupy a crucial stage in the industry’s operational chain.

They have accumulated years of field experience but are also young enough to remain highly mobile in a global market competing for specialised energy skills.

“We develop them, and global markets recruit them,” Ogunsanya said.

For indigenous oil and gas companies, the consequences can be immediate.

PETAN said companies may succeed in securing contracts but subsequently struggle to find the specialist personnel required to execute those projects safely and efficiently.

The warning comes as Nigeria’s oil and gas industry seeks to strengthen local capacity and attract new investment.

The wider human capital debate has increasingly shifted from simply producing graduates to ensuring workers possess practical, certifiable skills that can translate into operational performance.

The Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria’s 2026 Human Capital Development Conference, held at the Petroleum Training Institute in Effurun, reflects that changing priority.

OGTAN has framed the conference around workforce quality, expertise, innovation and adaptability as foundations for a competitive Nigerian energy industry.

The conference also brought attention to a second weakness: the gap between formal qualifications and hands-on competence.

PETAN said many Nigerian professionals possess the necessary classroom knowledge but have limited access to simulator time, supervised field experience and Original Equipment Manufacturer training.

When specialist training is unavailable domestically, Nigerian companies may have to send personnel abroad, adding to training costs while making it harder for local workers to build the same practical exposure available to their international counterparts.

PETAN believes more of that training can be delivered within Nigeria through closer cooperation among universities, operators, OEMs, indigenous service companies and training providers.

The association’s position is reinforced by recent efforts to expand practical workforce development.

In June, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board announced a pilot programme with Chevron Nigeria Limited and Bristow Helicopters Nigeria Limited to provide 10 Nigerians with specialised helicopter-pilot training for careers supporting offshore oil and gas operations.

NLNG has also reported training 70 professionals through a one-year programme covering data analysis and supply chain management, alongside health, safety and environment, information technology, Nigerian Content development and industrial exposure.

PETAN argues that such efforts need to extend further into the mid-career stage, where workers already possess industry knowledge but may need exposure to newer technologies and specialised equipment.

The third pressure point identified by the association is technological readiness.

PETAN expects digital systems, automation and artificial intelligence to play a larger role in future oil and gas contracts.

The challenge, Ogunsanya said, is not simply developing innovative solutions but ensuring there are enough professionals capable of deploying, validating and scaling those solutions in live operations.

Nigeria’s capacity for innovation remains a potential strength.

Ogunsanya pointed to a Nigerian AI-enabled subsurface solution that won the NCDMB Tech-Innovation Challenge in Yenagoa as an example of local technological capability.

The more difficult task is turning innovation into dependable field performance.

Without simultaneously addressing mid-career retention, practical competence and emerging technology readiness, Ogunsanya warned that Nigeria risks “localising yesterday’s services while importing tomorrow’s.”

PETAN is therefore seeking a larger and more formal role for indigenous service companies in human capital development.

The association says its members have already begun providing industry-based training but want workplace learning to receive formal recognition, accreditation and funding at scale.

One proposal is for structured placements within qualified indigenous service companies to count as certifiable workplace training.

Under the model, operators would recognise properly designed placements as part of professional development rather than treating them simply as informal internships.

PETAN said a graduate spending 12 months embedded within an indigenous service company could gain exposure to equipment, operating procedures, clients, safety requirements, documentation and performance standards that are difficult to reproduce in a conventional classroom.

“The best classroom in the industry is a live project,” the association said.

The proposal comes against a backdrop of broader efforts to make Nigerian oil and gas training more industry-focused.

OGTAN was established in 2010 to organise and standardise training services in the sector, while its mandate is linked to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act.

PETAN is also proposing greater access to Nigerian Content-funded human capital development resources for accredited indigenous training programmes.

The association wants funding allocation to be transparent and measurable, while still allowing specialist international training where domestic facilities cannot meet the required standard.

A third proposal involves a joint accreditation pathway between PETAN and OGTAN.

Under the suggested framework, OGTAN would contribute its training and quality standards, while PETAN member companies would provide access to operating environments, equipment and worksites.

“OGTAN brings the standards. PETAN members bring the worksites.

Put those together, and Nigeria can train more of its own people at home,” Ogunsanya said.

PETAN stressed that the proposal is not intended to lower professional standards or secure preferential treatment for indigenous companies.

Rather, the association wants industry-based learning to be formally recognised when it meets clearly defined standards.

The timing of the warning is particularly relevant as OGTAN places human capital at the centre of Nigeria’s energy competitiveness.

The association’s 2026 conference brought together industry executives, regulators, operators, service companies, training institutions and professionals to address skills shortages, leadership development, digital transformation and talent retention.

PETAN’s concern also fits into a wider push to ensure that increased activity in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is matched by sufficient local expertise.

NCDMB has described practical field readiness as a priority, while recent industry programmes have increasingly combined classroom instruction with workplace exposure.

For PETAN, the immediate issue is not whether Nigeria can produce talented people.

The question is whether the country can retain enough experienced professionals, give emerging workers meaningful field exposure and prepare both groups for an industry increasingly shaped by digital technology.

If that pipeline remains weak, the country could find itself with the uncomfortable paradox of producing skilled professionals who gain experience locally only to be recruited elsewhere.

PETAN’s proposed response is straightforward but ambitious: make more of the training happen at home, give indigenous companies a recognised role in delivering it, and create clearer pathways for professionals to acquire the practical and technological skills needed for the next generation of energy projects.

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The objective, ultimately, is to ensure that Nigeria’s investment in people produces not only qualified workers, but a durable pool of professionals capable of building and operating the country’s energy industry.