The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Felix Omatsola Ogbe, commended the Oil & Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) for its significant contributions to human capacity development in the oil and gas sector.
Ogbe expressed his appreciation during the Annual OGTAN Human Capacity Development (HCD) Awards held at the MUSON Centre in Onikan, Lagos.
He highlighted the NCDMB’s commitment to supporting OGTAN’s initiatives, which are designed to drive capacity building and skill development among industry stakeholders.
Represented by Barrister Dan Kikile Esueme, General Manager of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination at NCDMB, Ogbe emphasized the board’s leading role in promoting local content development through various initiatives.
These initiatives include a partnership with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) for the establishment of the Centre for Skills Development and Training (CSDT) in Omagwa, Rivers State. This project aims to reduce the skills gap in the oil and gas industry through targeted training programs.
Ogbe assured OGTAN that once operational, the facility would be available for the association to use in developing essential skills.
He encouraged stakeholders to utilize the facility to meet the objective of producing qualified, highly skilled, and competent industrial workers.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, praised OGTAN for its leadership in providing top-tier capacity development programs that enhance the competencies of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry.
He noted that OGTAN’s comprehensive training programs help operators meet local content requirements and empower the workforce for greater effectiveness and efficiency, aligning with the objectives of the Local Content Act 2010.
Engineer Komolafe emphasized that OGTAN’s professional training initiatives have been crucial in achieving NUPRC’s mandate of enabling effective service delivery across the industry’s value chain for optimal productivity.
Earlier, OGTAN President Mazi Sam Azoka Onyechi underscored the importance of harmonized skills training and certification programs for the Nigerian oil and gas industry. He asserted that in an era of artificial intelligence, human skills and intellect remain vital.
Onyechi praised the creation of OGTAN as a forward-thinking and sustainable initiative by NCDMB, focused on the domestication and localization of skills in Nigeria, a key mandate given to OGTAN.
The event also honored distinguished personalities and organizations, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Chevron Nigeria Limited, Seplat Energy, Charkin Maritime Academy, Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Tolmann Allied Service Company Limited, and First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited (First E&P). Other honorees included Prof. Abdulkadir Mukhtar, Ahmed Galadima Aminu, Prime Atlantic Safety Services, and Oilserv Limited.
More Images from the Award Program:
Annual OGTAN Human Capacity Development (HCD) Awards
