BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY TO CAREER AND EDUCATION (I)
Xfire is a graduate of one of the notable public universities in Nigeria, with working experience in the FMCG and petroleum industry. He currently works as an engineer in a multinational oil company in Nigeria. He is passionate about guiding people to achieve their dream careers, and he is known for his pragmatic approach towards career and life issues.
Oil and gas companies, as part of their contribution to the society, provide grants to educational institutions. Many departments offering industry related courses have been given varying amount of resources or equipped with state-of –the-art teaching facilities. Support may also be provided in form of sponsoring academic programmes. Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS), sponsored by Total and supported by Uniport, is an example of this. PTDF, as part of its responsibilities engages in the rehabilitation and upgrade of oil and gas related departments of selected universities in all the geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
In addition, internship opportunities are made available to many undergraduates. Oil producing / servicing companies as well as allied companies make provision for internship opportunities for students and graduates alike. This further exposes students to real life working experiences and equips them for future work assignments.
It’s good to be back after some time off this blog. I really feel refreshed! I had to go on hiatus for a few weeks to attend to some demanding work and personal activities. My next few articles will focus on some of the salient issues relating to the highest revenue generating industry in Nigeria – the oil and gas, specifically as it pertains to education, career and in some cases, the economy.
The oil and gas has been of immense benefit to Nigerians. The oil sector contributes about 14% of our GDP and over 80% of our national income. Some have opined that discovery of crude oil has been more of a curse than blessing to Nigeria. But that is arguable. Others would insist that discovery has been more advantageous to Nigeria. But everyone will easily acknowledge that the real problem is not the availability of natural resources, but the management and efficient utilization of the abundant human and mineral resources. This is particularly evident in the management of the oil and gas sector. The government seems to have realized this gap and thus has initiated the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to correct the anomaly. But the PIB in its current form may only aggravate the already worrisome situation in the industry if not scrutinized and reviewed intensively. The bill does not address some of the bottlenecks being faced in the industry. In my own opinion, the bill needs to be revised holistically to ensure sustainable growth and progress in the oil industry. But this will be a point of discussion for the future.
It is undisputable that the industry has contributed greatly to the economy of Nigeria. It is a known fact that tens of thousands of Nigerians have benefitted in terms of provision of direct and indirect employment, funding of educational institutions, community development projects, power supply, healthcare, sponsorship of social events, academic scholarships and grants, etc. However, it also has its own challenges such as corruption / lack of transparency, insufficient funding, declining reserves, oil theft, excessive government interference, insecurity, multiple taxation, community issues, environmental degradation, sabotage, etc. This excludes the fresh challenges introduced by the development of the oil sector.
However, the scope of this article is limited to the contribution the oil and gas industry in the areas of career and education, and the attendant challenges in both areas resulting from the growth of the industry.
Let’s take a brief look at the contributions made by the industry:
BENEFITS TO EDUCATION
All the major oil companies have renewable scholarship schemes for undergraduates and/or postgraduate studies. Thousands of undergraduates have benefitted from the scholarship opportunity. I am a beneficiary. The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) as an education fund stewarded by the federal government is also dedicated to providing training, scholarship opportunities and bursaries for undergraduates and graduates studying or intending to study in local and foreign institutions. Many Nigerians have benefitted in different ways. Furthermore, skill acquisition programmes are sponsored by oil and gas companies to provide for middle level manpower in the industry.
Oil and gas companies, as part of their contribution to the society, provide grants to educational institutions. Many departments offering industry related courses have been given varying amount of resources or equipped with state-of –the-art teaching facilities. Support may also be provided in form of sponsoring academic programmes. Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS), sponsored by Total and supported by Uniport, is an example of this. PTDF, as part of its responsibilities engages in the rehabilitation and upgrade of oil and gas related departments of selected universities in all the geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
In addition, internship opportunities are made available to many undergraduates. Oil producing / servicing companies as well as allied companies make provision for internship opportunities for students and graduates alike. This further exposes students to real life working experiences and equips them for future work assignments.
BENEFIT TO CAREER
One of the major contributions of the oil and gas industry is the provision of quality jobs for tens of thousands of Nigerians. The industry provides direct employment opportunities for several Nigerians. The local content initiative by the federal government ensures that oil companies will increasingly award contracts to many indigenous companies. The use of locally manufactured goods and Nigerian service companies in several areas of operation has additionally created numerous jobs for workers.
The industry is reputably known for good remuneration packages and enriching career experiences. Many oil and gas employees support many dependents thus indirectly providing for a large number of Nigerians. The industry has contributed its own fair share to the significant number of middle class citizens in Nigeria. An average worker in the Nigerian oil and gas industry can live a life well above generally accepted levels of comfort. The standard of living of a typical oil and gas employee is often high, or at least higher than average. Employees are able to meet the basic needs of life and still have fairly enough to save and share. They are often respected in the society.
The work experience can also be very rewarding. Many have had outstanding careers in the oil industry cutting across several job roles, project works, team exercises, international assignments and professional affiliations and activities. Life can be fulfilling working in the oil industry, and many rightfully aspire to work in the industry.
A lot of disciplines are required in the industry. The industry continually evolves as technology, world energy needs, world economy and organizational structures change. Thus, skill demand is continually evolving; bespoke job roles are being created while some roles are getting outdated. The dynamism in the industry provides more fulfilment and exposure to employees.
But despite all the positives, the industry comes with some attendant challenges to career and education in Nigeria.
To be concluded next week
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Recently, I attended a summit and the PIB in its old and recent form was one of the focal points of our discussion. I must confess your review “PIB for Dummies” was quite useful though am not a dummy. sometimes, you never know what you don’t know until you know.
can i please get the name of the writer for this article?