Nigeria energy sustainability rests on human resource devt —Operator

Nigeria’s present and future energy sustainability does not rest on just hydrocarbon but also human resources development, Deputy Managing Director, Deepwater Asset, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria, Victor Bandele, has said.

Bandele disclosed this while contributing to the theme ‘Governance and Structuring Human Resources Strategy For Sustainable Energy Future’ on the 2nd panel of the just-concluded Society of Petroleum Engineers’ (SPE) 2025 Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE)  in Lagos.

During his presentation, Bandele referenced its graduate trainee programme in partnership with the Institute of Petroleum and Energy Studies (IPES), currently running at the University of Port Harcourt.

The company’s IPES is a program focused on developing human capacity and equipping youth with skills for the oil and gas industry.

He said one of the pillars on which its more than 63 years of footprint in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry rests is the importance it attaches to human resource development.

The IPES is a program focused on developing human capacity and equipping youth with skills for the oil and gas industry.

According to him, sustainability in the company’s operations means deliberate inclusion of people as a means of meeting today’s energy requirements, while also preparing for future energy needs and targets.

“Over the years, TotalEnergies has kept the IPES alive through financial sponsorship. And as we speak, all our directors are mentors at the institute where graduates are trained as professionals. About 40 graduates of the school are currently employees of TotalEnergies, while others work in other companies in Nigeria. Some of them are even expatriates outside the country. This is because we believe so much in people, and we keep adapting learnings at the school to meet today’s energy challenges, while also preparing them for the future,” he said.

“At TotalEnergies, we believe that sustainability does not rest on only old knowledge. We also have to configure past knowledge to sustain us in the future, and that is why training youths must be at the heart of national development. The oil and gas industry must look inwards to see that youth are carried along.

“Our educational policies must be tied to energy transition because it is not the skills needed now that will be required in the future,” he said.

While speaking earlier, Chairperson, SPE Nigeria Council, Engr. Amina Danmadami, said a sustainable energy future required a holistic approach that required intentional leadership.

“Nigeria has found itself at a crossroads where, through bold leadership, the energy landscape must be reshaped.

“The future of energy is neither here nor there. It is neither leaner nor predetermined. It will be shaped mainly by investments and sound leadership. It must be repositioned to be inclusive of all stakeholders, and must be deepened through strategic engagements across boards and the globe,” she said.

The 2025 edition of SPE NAICE provided an expansive platform for knowledge-sharing, technical collaboration, and strategic foresight. It featured two high-level leadership panel sessions, over 80 exhibiting companies, and multiple tracks focused on gas monetisation, pipeline reliability, infrastructure optimisation, and digital transformation. Special attention was given to national priorities like asset divestment, local capacity development, and environmental stewardship.

Themed ‘Building a Sustainable Energy Future: Leveraging Technology, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and Policy’, the conference brought together industry regulators, upstream/midstream/downstream operators, financiers, oil/gas interest groups, the media, and industry observers, amongst others.

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE