The dearth of skilled manpower to take up jobs in the oil and gas industry, including technical sectors of the Nigerian economy, has prompted the Chief Executive Officer of the London Academy Business School, Dr Larry Jones-Esan to mull the establishment of the University of Sunderland in Nigeria.
The university which is billed to kick off academic programmes in Nigeria soon, is aimed at bridging the gap between job opportunities and the relevant skills expected to be possessed by Nigerian graduates.
Giving more insight into the initiative, Jones-Esan, said the mismatch between the skills possessed by Nigerian graduates and the job requirements in the industry were too visible to be ignored.
Buttressing his claims, he said despite the presence of over 250,000 oil and gas jobs in Nigeria, many Nigerian graduates pursue degrees in fields such as Library Science, Linguistics, Sociology, Philosophy, and Political Science, which limits their relevance to the country’s job market.
He said it was a disturbing fact that oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria continuously apply to bring in expatriates for jobs that could be done using indigenous manpower.
“This mismatch has led to a situation where foreigners are often hired to fill positions that could have been occupied by qualified Nigerian candidates,” he lamented.
Jones-Esan bemoaned that renowned companies like Chevron, Total, and Elf resort to bringing in non-graduates with technical skills from countries like France to perform jobs that Nigerian graduates could have easily handled with the right training.
He said the negative consequences of these skill gaps are far-reaching, adding that, “when Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, built a $19.5 billion refinery, he faced a significant challenge in finding 11,000 technicians to operate it. This scarcity of skilled technicians was primarily because many Nigerian graduates held degrees in fields such as Botany and Philosophy, which were not directly applicable to the technical requirements of the refinery.
“Consequently, Dangote had to import technicians from India to fill these positions”.
He said the University of Sunderland is renowned for its focus on practical skills development and industry-relevant courses, noting that with its presence in Nigeria, the London Academy Business School will provide Nigerian youths with access to high-quality education and training in fields that align with the country’s job market demands.
The London Academy Business School CEO therefore urged Nigerian youths to seize the opportunity and take advantage of the programs offered by the University of Sunderland in Nigeria to acquire relevant skills.
He said Nigerian graduates will be better positioned to secure well-paying jobs and contribute to the country’s economic development.
