Despite efforts to increase Nigerian participation in the oil and gas sector, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has approved work slots for 448 expatriates in the first six months of 2025.
These approvals—granted after a vetting process to confirm the lack of qualified local talent—reflect Nigeria’s continued dependence on foreign specialists for certain technical roles. The expatriate quota system is intended to fill skill gaps in areas such as offshore operations, geosciences, and engineering.
Still, the board also denied 319 expatriate requests during the same period, showing a tightening of standards aimed at protecting jobs for Nigerians. Temporary Work Permits (TWP) granted during this time totaled 158, while only five were rejected.
Concerns over misuse of the quota system persist, especially after a March 2025 controversy involving Sterling Oil. The company was accused of violating local content laws by hiring thousands of foreign workers, sparking a backlash from industry unions. The matter was eventually resolved after the firm agreed to replace many of the foreign workers with Nigerian staff.
NCDMB Executive Secretary, Felix Ogbe, said the board’s role is to ensure expatriates are only brought in when no qualified Nigerians are available. He highlighted the broader progress made under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, which has raised local content levels from less than 5% before 2010 to 56% as of early 2025.
Ogbe noted that for decades, Nigeria’s over-reliance on foreign expertise led to massive capital flight—estimated at $380 billion over 50 years—and the loss of over two million potential jobs.
In contrast, more recent initiatives have led to job creation and skills development, with more than 50,000 jobs generated and thousands of training hours delivered. He also cited the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project as an example of improved local participation, with half of the work executed domestically.
Presidential adviser on energy, Olu Verheijen, also weighed in, stressing that recent directives from the presidency were meant to reinforce the intent of the local content law—not weaken it. She said these directives prioritize companies that genuinely invest in Nigerian talent, infrastructure, and long-term value.
She added that the goal is to reduce the influence of intermediaries who inflate costs without offering real contributions to project outcomes.
The government says it remains committed to building domestic capacity and retaining economic value within the country, even as foreign expertise continues to play a role in the sector’s transition.
