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COVID-19: Nigeria’s Oil, Gas trainers lost $2bn in one year, honour Sylva, Others

The training stratum of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector lost $2 billion in the last one year.

Trainers under the auspices of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), who declared this on Monday, maintained that the loss was suffered between March 2020 and March 2021 due to COVID-19.

Fielding questions from newsmen at a press conference to herald the Lecture Series and Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the group, President of OGTAN, Dr. Mayowa Afe, said that the oil sector was badly affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.

“We, the oil and gas trainers, felt the impact of COVID-19 than any other stakeholders in the oil and gas sector.

“Immediately COVID-19 happened, the first thing that companies did was to cancel training for their staff,” the OGTAN helmsman who was accompanied to the event by Financial Secretary of the group, Mr. Matthew Olaleye, and the Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dapo Omolade, said.

The good news, according to Afe, is that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has set aside supporting system to rescue registered oil training firms from total collapse.

His view was corroborated by the Financial Secretary of the group, Mr. Matthew Olaleye, who stated that the total loss to the pandemic by the oil and gas training industry is about $2 billion.

“For every contract that is awarded in the oil and gas industry, 3 per cenr is expected to go for training. About $2 billion that were, based on our calculations, supposed to go to training, couldn’t come due to COVID-19.”

He continued; “There was no business, even the little savings we had was used to pay salaries of our staff. The money is for expansion and this means that there is no expansion in the training startum of the oil and gas sector.

:The multiplier effect will be for about 10 years.”

Speaking on the forthcoming Lecture Series/AGM, themed; “Inclusive Human Capacity Development,” Afe maintained that prominent Nigerians who have contributed immensely to the sector; like the minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, and the Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Sarki Auwalu.

The event, which would be held online and physically due to strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols, he said, would attract 2000 delegates.

“We are extremely satisfied with the performance of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva. He has performed beyond expectations.

“One of such areas is the transition to cleaner energy. Another is the Gas based industrialisation. And, on this note, we are honouring the minister with the gas personality award.

“The DPR Director will also be honoured with Oil and Gas recognistion award at the event” he said.

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