Question: To
what extent has Nigerian government been able to assist its citizens to acquire a
high skilled knowledge of technology?
Following the Nigerians desire to
compete favourable with the foreign expatriates in the oil and gas industry, it
has reasonably engaged itself in the
following attempts towards becoming a
better so as to match with the competing technology globally. Economic experts
have agreed that Nigerian is a richly blessed nation both in terms of huge
population and its natural resource. Obviously, it is to address and assist its
citizens in acquiring high skilled technology that Nigerian government evolved
the local content policy for the oil and gas sector with the followings, 45%
local content by 2006 and 70% local content by 2010. Similarly, to drive the
process much letter, the Nigerian natural petroleum corporation (NNPC) for
short created a content division which resulted in the setting up of the
Nigerian content support fund/NSCF with the take off front of US$350n
essentially energy the local content initiative was meant to facilitate the
transfer of technology, human capital development to foster greater employment
of Nigerians to enhance linkage with other sectors with a view to attaining
high skilled technology advancement. To descend the level of trained and
technical skills imparted by OS adventure can speak much about the country’s
attempt towards upgrading its technological manpower development to the able to
impact with the foreign expatriates in the oil campaign. It is crystal clear
that the risk in the oil and gas industry are enormous and thus involve huge
financial outlays and before require some technical capacity to accurately
assess them. In fighting with the aforesaid
forth of Nigerian has the sector desired results in the oil sphere.
Moreover, it is before not a
surprise that oil majors have been compelled to patronize local under milters
in the long term in the interest of the nation and its citizens which talk
about the indigenes concessy programmes which was to retain ownership and
control of concessy in Nigeria hands whereby encouraging the forth of local
expertise production, development and operates technology wise.
Interestingly, it is to be mandated that the
cumulative result of decades of attempts by the government and stakeholders in
the petroleum industry to ensure that the industry provides not only local
values but also maximized herefits to Nigeria is to the Nigerian oil an
gas. Dusty content development Act. This
petroleum act provided among other things.
The establishment of various resources centers for
Nigerians to fish the problem of brain drawn.
It in the system provided developmental training
education and support of funds to the teaming participants.
It provided for mandatory employment and training of
Nigerians by petroleum operators.
It further provided for technology transfer local
content utilization, recruitment and training of Nigeria personnel in various
contribute arrangements international oil companies. Six and finally, the
Nigerian fort ha established a Nigerian content division made up of NNPC
Nigerian foreign based personnel to monitor and give effect to the government
plan of enhancing high skilled technology.
On the other hand, the Act in assuming prominence
towards realizing its content objectives sees the attempt as a quantum of
composite value added to or created in the Nigeria economy by a systematic
development of capacity and capabilities through the deliberate utilization of
Nigerian human, material resources and services in the Nigerian oil and gas
industry. This includes the Nigerian man hours utilized in relation to the
duration of project, tonnage, size and volume of certain goods. Additionally,
the Nigeria fort through this particular Act has mandated the usage of a minimum
percentage of Nigerian labour in specific candres as it may deem fit in the
circumstances. Nigeria government through employment and training of its
citizens personnel and expatriate quota regulation provided stipulations to the
effect that:
1. Operators must give Nigerian first
consideration for employment and training in respect of all projects to be
executed. Thus, it mandated the operators to employ only Nigerians in their
junior and intermediated candre respectively.
At this juncture, it is paramount to
state before that the forts vision in ensuring that local personnel compete
with their foreign expatriates is to transform the oil and gas industry into
economic engine for job creation and national growth by developing in country
capacity and indigenous capacities. Morestill, it seeks to promote a framework
that guarantees active participation of Nigerians in oil and gas activities
without compromising standards.
As practitioners and people with the
fore most desire to move forward, the Nigerian government has put up a bill
called producers. Forum to usher in a more robust era of sustainable prosperity
for the nation and its technology..
Over time, Nigerian government has
drawn the thin line between politics and technology decisions. It is for this
popular reason that the bill engendered increased local refining capacities
technologically and business wise leading to an affordable and stable price for
the Nigerian populace. Furthermore, in a bid by government to a achieve
immeasurable result of high level knowledge technology, it has successfully
produced Nigerian human technical capacity. Thus,
In its incorporated joint venture,
it opined that all Nigerian employees of equity holding companies in the JVS
shall be deeded to be employees of the new IJV with effect from the date of the
incorporation of the IJV on terms and conditions no less favourable than those
they enjoyed prior to incorporation and that no Nigerian shall lose his/her job
as a result of this singular act.
Aboveall, government’s creation of a
platform for amnesty for the Niger Deltans as the host and impacted communities
where oil and gas are fund has shown enough wind recognition in the equal
participation in learning how to handle certain high skilled technology for
advancement purposes Nigerian government has reasonable done although much
still needs to be done to enhance better performance in technology and skill
acquisition development. Of the basic truth. Is that forts endeavour toward
realizing these objectives is evident in its greatness to go on voyage of
discovery in numerating the standards so far hammered on. sincerely, Nigerian
government has increased investment in science, technology and education. That
is why it is always remarked that technological knowledge creates wealth. Thus,
prospect of technology for the Nigerian youths are tremendous of course, it
appears to suggest that existing arrangements coupled with others to be
envisaged will continue to follow the status quo or improve therefore by
training more Nigerian citizens who will till skill shortages in the petroleum
industry.
To say the least, Nigerian
government has improved in standard of living, upgraded infrastructure unlike
what there used to be at the moment, there has been grater percentage of the oil
and gas sectors insurance business into the hands of local underwriters,
implying that grater percent of the nations workforce is engaged in the
petroleum sector under the supervision of foreign expatriates whose link
Nigeria operates.
CONCLUSION
The local content policy of the government is a
well-though out initiative designed to accelerate the involvement of Nigerians
in all-important oil and gas sector. several years after it was evolved, not
much has been achieved. Although there are no statistics to validate the extent
of compliance to the targets of 45 percent in 2006 and drive towards 70 percent
of 2010, the continuous dominance by foreigners of the commanding heights of
the sector bear eloquent testimony to the need for urgent actions by the government
and regulatory bodies.
OCTOBER 10TH
2009
The Producer Forum- upstream Sector of the Petroleum and
Natural Gas Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) held its quarterly meeting
on the 10/10/09 in Lagos and the issue of the PIB was discussed extensively.
The following resolutions were reached on the PIB.
(1)
That the national
Assembly should take into cognizance the concerns and interest expressed by the
stakeholders in the oil and gas industry before passing the bill into law.
(2)
No Nigeria
(whether working in the NNPC Group or in the International Oil Company) shall
lose his/her job as a result of this bill and all existing pension plans must
be maintained.
(3)
The main stay of
the Nigerian economy is the oil and gas business and was over 50 years ago. The
forum resolved that oil workers would down tools and resist a bill that will
jeopardize the oil and Gas Industry just like the Nigerian Railways line and
Nigeria port authority etc.
(4)
All Nigeria
employees of equity holding companies in the JVS and PSCs shall be deemed to be
employees of the new IJV effect from the date of the incorporation of the IJV
on terms and condition no less favourable than those enjoyed pirior to
incorporation.
(5)
The new
Integrated Joint Ventures (IJV) companies should be allowed full autonomy as
exploration and production of oil and gas companies operating in the country.
The presence of government controlling major shares would be reduced to usual
government establishment where internal policies in appointment of board
members and adhering to international code of operating would be compromised.
(6)
That government
should involved in the exploration and production of oil and gas business
rather than integrating with the Joint Venture.