The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has warned that without an immediate upward review of workers’ salaries to offset the economic shocks of naira devaluation and rising inflation, the country could face a mass exodus of top-tier oil and gas professionals.
Speaking at PENGASSAN’s end-of-year National Executive Council meeting on Thursday in Abuja, President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Festus Osifo, warned that the sector is on the brink of a talent drain that could undermine its operations and global competitiveness.
“Our skills are unique and required everywhere in the world,” Osifo said. “A drilling engineer in Nigeria is doing the same job as a drilling engineer in the United States or Abu Dhabi. A well-performance engineer in Gulf of Mexico has the same skill as a well-performance engineer in Gulf of Guinea, here in Nigeria. So, what that means is that when devaluation occurs, we realize that we must do everything possible to prevent that. Otherwise, the brain drain that we have seen in some other sectors will just be a child’s play.”
He emphasised the fluidity of the global oil and gas labour market, noting that Nigerian professionals can quickly find opportunities abroad.
“Because with the click of a finger, members can find themselves in any part of the world to work. In this industry, the company that operates here goes for the best.”
Osifo highlighted the calibre of local talent, noting that oil and gas companies consistently recruit high-performing graduates.
“When you go to a particular department in a particular company, oil and gas industry, maybe if you have 200 staff in that department, you’d be surprised that you have nothing less than 50 or 60 first class,” he said. “Because the oil and gas industry recruits the best. So, the same way they recruit the best, we challenge them to provide the best condition of service.”
He criticised companies for dragging their feet on salary adjustments despite the economic pressures facing workers.
“Even with massive devaluation, some still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members. We are calling on them to do the needful. We will push without holding back, using everything in our arsenal to ensure the right thing is done.”
On unresolved industrial relations issues, particularly with the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals, Osifo stated that several matters remain pending despite prolonged negotiations.
“There are still a lot of pending issues. The NEC decided that we must consummate the process by pushing these issues and resolving them through dialogue. Our preference is to resolve them at the negotiation table.”
He also raised concerns about national security, criticising government inaction against terrorism.
“We have heard severally when they tell us that they know the sponsors of these terrorists. The question is that, where are these sponsors? Why have you not named these sponsors? Why have you not exposed these sponsors? Why have you not gone after them, get them convicted to serve as deterrence to others?”
Osifo urged that more concrete measures be taken rather than rhetorical condemnations, including diverting resources to acquire sophisticated equipment to tackle terrorism.
“It is the country that is safe, able to protect its citizens, that will be talking about construction of roads, investment in any other sector. The first thing is security.”
He also questioned why policing remains centralised, leaving the majority vulnerable due to political considerations.
“Politicians are less than 0.1% of the population. Are you saying because of them the 99.9% should remain in harm’s way? For us, governments should be serious about this. It is not about rhetorics. Where we need partnership with international community, the government should do everything possible to partner with international community.”
Regarding the economy, Osifo criticised the disparity between government macroeconomic claims and the everyday realities of Nigerians.
“Inflation numbers are coming down, but in the market prices are not coming down. With ₦100,000, what you bring out is almost next to nothing.”
He called for closer coordination between fiscal and monetary authorities to ensure real household relief.
“It is not sufficient to say exchange rate is coming down or revenue targets have been met. What the average Nigerian wants to see is how this translates to food on the table.”
Osifo assured union members that PENGASSAN will continue engaging key government institutions to advocate for better welfare and working conditions.
“We will do everything possible to ensure that the lives of our members are better off,” he affirmed.