Owing to the depletion of engineering skills in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) without replacement or rebuilding, the state-owned oil firm has been executing most of its projects with contracts.

The Nation, however, learnt yesterday that the snag has unsettled its Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, who has vowed to second some of the staff to the International Oil Companies (IOCs) for skill acquisition.

Our findings revealed that the NNPCL boss who assumed office on April 2nd, 2025 was shocked to discover the emptiness in the manpower whose core mandate is application of engineering skills.

Ojulari, according to the insider source, has revealed that what really distinguishes the IOCs is their engineering skills.

In order to tap from their dexterity, The Nation also gathered that already there are 15 IOCs engineers now deployed to retool the NNPCL workforce.

The insider source quoted Ojulari as saying, “NNPC over the years, skills have depleted. Engineering skills have depleted. Most of what we are doing in recent times is mostly around contracts. We’re going to change that. We’re going to rebuild things back slowly. What makes all these IOCs what they are, and consistently so, is that foundation of technical and commercial excellence.

“So we need to rebuild that, and we’re going to do that not behind the wheel alone. We’re going to second some of our people back into the IOCs and into operating companies and get some people from there. But I already have about 15.”

But speaking at the just concluded Nigerian Oil and Gas (NOG) Week in Abuja, Ojulari announced that his pattern of management would be different from the past in terms of crude oil production financing.

The NNPCL boss  was emphatic about his aversion for merely seeking the barrels of crude oil without a conversation around investment in incremental growth.

He vowed that gone are the days that NNPCL sold its barrels of crude oil without the return on investment.

His words: “It is the history; finance is raised, barrels are pledged, right, for financing and infrastructure and everything.

“What have you been doing around financing incremental growth? So all the meetings I have had with all those banks in the room, African banks, foreign banks, and I’m announcing that here. “Anybody that wants to do business with NNPC today, please don’t come and ask for barrels.

“Please come and let’s have conversations on how you will invest in incremental growth. So that’s the fundamental shift in strategy.

“It is no more just  forward selling our barrels  and then we have nothing to return to invest.  It’s about let’s talk  and let’s share the benefits of that incremental growth. So I believe with those strategic shifts, you’re  going to see a complete movement from where we came.”

On energy transition, he explained that it is mostly about reducing emissions. He revealed that he has recently joined an oil and gas global platform for governance around energy transition.

According to him, they are looking for technologies that reduce emissions.

He gave an analogy of the possibility of having a technology that would emit water instead of carbon monoxide from PMS powered cars.