Sack fever has gripped oil workers over the ongoing energy transition in the country. They fear the silence of the fate of workers is worrisome.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) made this known during the PENGASSAN and Labour Summit 2022 with the theme “Energy Transition and its Effects on the Workforce in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Sector” in Abuja.
Its President, Comrade Festus Osifo, said energy transition remains a global burning issue as it affects all sectors and nations regardless of location or affiliation.
He said: “The attention of and discussions have been majorly on investments, climate, profits, and little or no focus on the workers who ensure other factors of production are assembled.
“It is on this premise that our association, being proactive and poised to protect the jobs of its workforce, chose to organise the summit.”
Osifo added: “The purpose of this summit is to brainstorm on how the transition can be best sailed, how it will affect the workforce that are the most important asset and by extension their families and dependents and how it can birth maximum value to the nation.”
He expressed the hope that the summit would reveal what the working class in the industry have to do to remain relevant in future.
He pointed out that new skills and training were needed besides the collaboration between employers and government in achieving a smooth and sustainable transition.
Tabling the fears in the industry to the staff, Osifo said the International Energy Agency (IAE) forecasts significant growth in the renewable energy sector by 2025 and beyond but that oil and gas will still contribute 50 per cent of global energy mix by 2050.
According to him, the world is battling inflation, whose root cause is centred on energy availability and the need for the delay, need for the demand and supply mix to be right at all times.
“We have been told that gas is the transition fuel for Nigeria, how do we harness its full value? Crude oil and its effects, costs, Nigeria and its investment partners over $60 billion daily. There are women taking decisions on the oil and gas industry as was not seen; not heard before.
“How can workers use all these skills required that today’s employees will develop in order to keep performing optimally now and in the future?
Earlier, he narrated the state of the industry from which investors are divesting to the summit.
Osifo said the effects of climate change have rekindled the world’s apprehension on how to eliminate the footprint of fossil fuel and reduce its attendant effects on the environment.
He said the call for quick action, led to several climate change initiatives and world conferences where several decisions were taken on how to curb the menace to bequeath a world that is safe.
Total, according to him, is now Total Energies; Savannah Petroleum is now Savannah Energies, and Norway Statoil is now Equinor.
He also noted that most governments all over the world are now committed to greener energy as they have started developing programmes that support the transition.
Osifo said a lot of oil and gas exploration companies are now strategizing and moving their investments and significant capital to renewable energy-related projects.
In a panel session on “Energy Transition: Positioning the Nigeria Energy Industry for the Future,” National Petroleum Investment Management Service (NAPIMS), Group General Manager, Bala Wunti, said there must be a balance between energy transition and energy consumption.
He tasked the workers on the emerging technology, insisting they have to be innovative to reduce emissions from hydrocarbons.
He said the best way to go is to continue to be Environment Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) compliant, adding that the combination of what they call the ESG framework will help in addressing the impact of energy emission.
Wunti said “So, first let’s go, everybody has come to say that Net Zero is a dream that can never happen. So zero carbon has never happened. And what that zero everybody has now redefined energy transition to being working for clean, affordable and reliable supplier management.”
He said Nigeria should be concerned about elimination of emissions and energy poverty.
Speaking, another panelist, the Executive General Manager, HR, Total Energies, Evi Ifekwe allayed fears about job loss.
She said studies have shown that the energy transition would lead to the creation of 78million jobs between now and 2050.
According to her, there will be high demand for small and medium enterprises as the workers do not need big corporations to produce the needed apps.
Meanwhile, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), General Manager, Strategic Planning and Documentation Department, Mr. Jide Adebulahin revealed that the fund is going to the universities to review their curriculum to suite the energy trend.
He assured the staff that “Gas is green to us.” PTDF, according to him, will retrain all the staff despite what the International Oil Companies (IOCs) are doing.
