By Paul Williams
Nigeria’s gas company, NLNG, has achieved “a major milestone” in its Nigerian Content development commitment, with the graduation of 122 technicians from the Train 7 Project Human Capital Development (HCD) Advanced Training Programme.
The programme, which closed-out on Friday at the NLNG complex in Finima, Bonny Island was in collaboration with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
A joint release by NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, and NCDMB’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Obinna Ezeobi, said the training ends officially on September 30, 2025 with the departure of the trainees from its plant facility on Bonny Island.
Horsfall and Ezeobi said, “The HCD programme, run under the guidance of the NCDMB, is a Federal Government initiative to build capacity for the oil and gas industry and fulfil the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act’s requirement on human capital development.”
A total of 122 trainees, having completed prior HCD Basic Training Programmes, were approved by the NCDMB, to participate in the three month On the Job Training (OJT) within NLNG facilities, covering both graduate and vocational categories.
“The training programme focused on development of technical expertise in plant and facility management, amongst other competencies, and has positioned the trainees to take advantage of future opportunities within the oil and gas industry,” Horsfall and Ezeobi said.
Speaking at the closed-out ceremony, NLNG’s Train 7 Project Director, Engr. Ali Uwais, described the advanced training programme as a testament of the resilience, discipline, and growth of the trainees.
Uwais, who was represented by the Train 7 Project Corporate Liaison Manager, Engr. Joshua Anemeje, congratulated the trainees for their commitment to excellence and urged them to take advantage of future opportunities within the oil and gas industry.
“This programme is about building a new generation of Nigerian professionals who will shape the oil and gas sector for decades to come. Its successful completion with a zero-incident safety record reflects not only your dedication but also NLNG’s uncompromising culture of ‘Safety First and Always’, and its operational excellence”, he said.
Uwais commended NCDMB, for its role as a strategic partner in driving Nigerian Content targets and capacity development in the industry, and the training partners, Candix Engineering Nigeria Limited, AOS Orwell, Arco Marine and Engineering Limited, Dover Engineering and Amaiden Energy Nigeria Limited, for ensuring a world class OJT experience and HR management.
NCDMB’s General Manager Human Capital Development (HCD), Esueme Dan Kikile, expressed delight on the conclusion of the training programme, which produced a pool of skilled and globally competitive workforce, knowledgeable in key areas such as instrumentation, electrical, mechanical, lifting and rigging activities, and fabrication, preventive and corrective maintenance.
He stressed that the trainees can compete globally in the oil and gas industry and its linkage sectors.
Kikile described Train 7 Project as one of the largest gas infrastructure developments in Africa, noting that it not only created jobs but also provided a platform to groom young Nigerians with advanced technical and managerial competencies.
“This training provided hands-on experience on a live LNG project that complimented your academic and theoretical knowledge. This training further exposed trainees to specialised advanced technical disciplines, project management, health and safety, and emerging technologies critical to the future of the industry.
‘It is my delight to note that twenty-seven (27) of the trainees have received special recognition awards for their aptitude during the programme, out of which six (6) who were very exceptional have been offered automatic employment by AOS Orwell, one of the training partners,” he said.
He lauded NLNG and all other partner companies for their unwavering commitment to Nigerian Content development, referencing several other initiatives on which the Board is partnering with NLNG to deepen local content implementation in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
