Reps mull improved local human capacity in oil, gas sector

The House of Representatives has resolved to improve local human capacity in the oil and gas industry to address capital flight in the country.

Rep. Thomas Ereyitomi, Chairman, Committee on Petroleum Resources, Training Fund, said this at the inauguration of members of the committee in Abuja.

According to him, the house is also seeking to shore up the Gross Domestic Product of the country.

He said the committee was committed to repositioning the manpower development drive, economic growth and diversification, fostering social development, and ensuring the global competitiveness of the country.

He noted that the committee remained one of the important committees of the house as its task remained enormous.

“Our appointment to this committee is a demonstration of the seriousness the house leadership attaches to this committee,” the lawmaker said.

Ereyitomi said their mandate, as outlined in the standing orders of the house, was a testament to the committee’s pivotal role in shaping the nation’s future.

“To achieve these goals, I am pleased to present our committee’s comprehensive work plan for the tenure ahead.

“This plan is designed to guide our efforts, focusing on the key areas that will enable us to fulfill our mandate effectively,” he said.

The chairman further said the committee members called for constant training of Nigerians in the sector.

He added that the lawmakers said training was a very key aspect of the oil industry and, if gotten right, would improve the sector and have a positive ripple effect on other areas of the economy.

Rep. Amobi Ogah (Labour Party-Abia) said it was regrettable that not much had been done in training local players to boost the sector.

“The mandate of the Training Fund is meant for the training of capacity in the areas of oil and gas but today, we cannot really say that the agency has done much in training our people locally,” Ogah said.

According to him, today we are still hiring foreigners to rebuild or maintain our refineries, and one of the major reasons for setting up this agency is to develop our people.

He said the agency was saddled with the responsibility of developing people’s capacity and ability.

He added that this was to ensure that the country moved from over dependence of foreigners in oil and gas to local level.