As international oil majors continue to divest from Nigeria and other African markets, developing a technically skilled local workforce has become more important now than at any other time. Schemes like Petralon Energy’s Future Leaders Programme (FLP) help to bridge the skill gap, KINGSLEY JEREMIAH reports.

Providing Nigerian undergraduate students with direct exposure to practical knowledge in the oil and gas sector, especially the recent tour of drilling operations and safety systems at Dawes Island, Rivers state, through the Future Leaders Programme (FLP), represents a practical approach to bridging the persistent skills gap in the sector.

By combining theoretical instruction with field-based experience, such initiatives can help develop a more technically capable workforce to support indigenous participation and improve oil sector performance.

The FLP, an initiative of Petralon Energy, is designed to build technical capacity among Nigerian students studying petroleum engineering, geology, and related disciplines. It provides mentoring, structured industry exposure, and financial support throughout their undergraduate studies.

Petralon Energy introduced the initiative to address the skills gap in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and to support local content development. By combining practical industry experience with academic learning, the programme aims to develop a pipeline of qualified Nigerian professionals capable of sustaining and growing the upstream sector.

The awardees, Gideon Odey, Michael Olaniran, David Hanson, and Florence Omotayo Jacob from the University of Port Harcourt, along with Olanrewaju Kaosarat Pelumi and Nwakaegho Emmanuel Onyekachukwu from the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, as well as Hossana John James from the University of Uyo were selected from the departments of Geology, Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum and Gas Engineering, based on their out standing academic performance and alignment with the strategic goal of the programme.

The Chief Executive Officer of Petralon Energy, Ahonsi Unuigbe, sees the programme as a key way to harness the potential of young Nigerians, especially at a time when youth employment remains alarming in the country.

“Beyond profit, we are investing in the future of the Nigerian energy sector by raising leaders who will deploy world-class standards and also show consideration for the environment,” Ahonsi said.
On the Dawes Island rig, the seven students were selected to tour drilling operations under the supervision of engineers, health and safety officers, and medics. The visit allowed them to connect theory with practice, see technologies firsthand, and interact with professionals working under exacting conditions. For many, it was their first time stepping onto an operational rig, an experience that could transform how they approach their future studies and careers.

The programme supports each beneficiary with a stipend, book allowance, accommodation, and tuition amounting to about one million naira per academic session until graduation, provided they maintain high academic performance. Beyond these material benefits, the FLP embeds mentorship at its core. Awardees gain access to Petralon’s senior staff and external mentors in the oil and gas industry, strengthening the connection between academia and the field.

This hands-on, mentorship-driven approach addresses a crucial weakness in Nigeria’s local content efforts in human capital. Decades of underinvestment in skills development have been a major issue for Nigeria. Even with stronger local content laws, a mismatch between graduates’ skills and industry needs has persisted.

Programmes like the FLP could begin to close this gap. By investing early in talented undergraduates and giving them live exposure, mentoring, and a sense of professional identity. With this, Petralon is positioning these students to move straight into the workforce with relevant knowledge and confidence. Over time, that could strengthen the pool of homegrown professionals available to the industry and reduce dependence on foreign contractors.

In the bigger picture, the initiative also responds to Nigeria’s growing emphasis on optimising oil and gas production through local partnerships. The federal government’s “Project One Million Barrels per Day” and the Petroleum Industry Act have placed new responsibilities on indigenous operators to manage and maximise assets efficiently. Without a strong workforce trained to global standards, these goals could remain elusive.
Petralon’s own growth story from its founding in 2014 to its current operatorship of the Dawes Island Field under Petroleum Prospecting License 259 shows the opportunities open to Nigerian firms with the right expertise and operational capacity. Its recent drilling of a second well on Dawes Island is expected to boost national crude production and help meet Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries quotas and reinforce the company’s credibility.

Yet Petralon argues that local content is more than a regulatory box to tick; it is about transforming communities. By supporting education, mentoring, and social investment, the company aims to nurture trust among host communities, build legitimacy, and ensure that the benefits of oil production reach more people.

“With the right exposure, access to practical knowledge and support for our FLP awardees, our company is not just looking beyond profit, but we are also investing in the future of the Nigerian energy sector by raising leaders, and building professionals, who will deploy best-in-class standards in their practices, and operations, including showing consideration for the environment,” he noted.

Analysts argue that efforts like the FLP could serve as a blueprint for other indigenous companies. If scaled, similar schemes could raise industry-wide standards, deepen local capacity, and strengthen resilience in a sector still vulnerable to skills flight and global competition.

Back on the rig, the Petralon FLP scholars would no longer be just observers. Engaged in conversations with engineers and each other, they began to see themselves as future contributors to an industry vital to Nigeria’s economic future. The programme, still in its first phase, represents a small but significant investment in a broader ambition to build a Nigerian oil and gas sector run by Nigerians, for Nigerians.

“The PFLP offers a unique opportunity to these brilliant students in our scheme. As beneficiaries, they will gain more than the financial and material support the scheme entitles them to. Mentoring is an integral part of the programme. It is an uncommon window for both personal and professional development for our future leaders”, the company’s Community Relations & CSR Manager, Dr Ken Uzor, said.

By transforming undergraduates into confident, capable professionals, Petralon Energy is doing more than drilling wells; it is helping drill a path to sustainable local content and long-term human capital development. And for the future of Nigeria’s petroleum industry, that could prove every bit as valuable as oil itself.