Nigerians capable of replacing expatriates In oil sector – PTDF
Adewale Akintaro
Nigerians are capable of replacing expatriates in the country’s oil and gas sector, the interim head of the PTDF College of Petroleum and Energy Studies Kaduna, Dr Munir Sirajo, has stated.
According to him, Nigeria will flourish better if many Nigerians are fully trained and participate in the oil and gas industry which is the highest contributor to the country’s revenue earning which is up to 80 per cent.
Sirajo stated this at the College’s Headquarters in Kaduna Wednesday, on the sidelines of the screening exercise for the applicants of the 2024 PTDF Postgraduate Scholarship Programme.
Speaking on the scholarship programme, he said it was aimed at ensuring that Nigerians were trained on the management of the country’s oil and gas resources.
“When oil was discovered in the country, those who managed its facilities were mostly expatriates. So, we feel it is high time Nigerians take up those roles, which we believe is a gradual process.
“By mandate of Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), which was set up to develop human and technological capacity for the oil and gas industry, one of our cardinal programmes is the oversees scholarship scheme through which Nigerians are trained from various institutions across the globe.”