Lapis Nigeria Limited is committed to providing much needed knowledge to the professionals on the frontlines of the transformative drive towards improving Nigeria’s oil and gas production levels. We have, in strategic collaboration with HOT Engineering GmbH of Austria, which is arguably the leading authority in global oil and gas training, designed two courses—Oil and Gas Development Operations (OGDO) and Oil and Gas Development Fundamentals (OGDF)—for technical and non-technical professionals respectively. The robust curriculum is country specific, with modules coveringthe entire value chain from exploration to the Petroleum Industry Act.
In November 2025, the inaugural edition of the two-week-long technical Oil and Gas Development Operations (OGDO) course held in Port Harcourt. Led by Mr. Joe Oribabor and an international faculty with almost a century of cumulative experience in overseas and Nigerian oil and gas operations, the participants drawn from Aradel Holdings, NNPCL, First Hydrocarbon Nigeria Limited, Seplat PLC, and Nigeria Exploration and Production Limited, were bright, engaged, and quite keen on refreshing their knowledge and learning new ways of optimising operations during the 10 days of classroom delivery and several multi-disciplinary practical exercises.
Participants had the privilege of interacting with the Executive Vice President, Upstream of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Mr. Udobong Ntia, during a video call session on topics ranging from entrenching training, to reentry plans for the Ogoni fields, to the ambitious production targets. Mr. Ntia underscored the critical importance of training programs like Lapis Nigeria Limited’s initiatives to the industry’s overall mission. The Chairman of Lapis Nigeria Limited, Dr. Femi Bajomo, thanked the NNPCL, its EVP, and the GMD Mr. Bayo Ojulari, for lending their time and support to this initiative.
The OGDO training was capped off with a field visit of the Ogbele field, courtesy of Aradel Holdings, where participants got a rare firsthand experience of upstream, midstream, and downstream facilities in one location. They saw the equipment, tanks, control room, and drilling rigs up close, and had their questions answered by the operators and the course faculty. The participants were awarded their certificates at the end of the course and expressed their satisfaction with the robust quality of the course, the opportunity to interact with industry leaders, share experiences and knowledge with fellow participants from other organizations, and experience the practical aspects of oil and gas operations.
In December 2025, it was the turn of the non-technical professionals to participate in the Oil and Gas Development Fundamentals (OGDF) training in Lagos. There was a 5-day version of the course, as well as a condensed 2-day option to cater to various schedules. The participants were drawn from Sunlink Energy, First City Monument Bank, NNPCL, Seplat PLC, Aradel Holdings, First Exploration and Production Development Company, Shoreline Natural Resources Limited, Heritage Oil, Pan Ocean/Newcross, SimmonsCooper Partners, and Wole Olanipekun & Co.
The very experienced Lapis Nigeria/HOT Engineering faculty broke down very technical concepts for the participants drawn from human resources, operations, change management, finance, banking, supply chain, administration, legal services, risk management, and others. These professionals carried out practical and project work as part of multi-disciplinary syndicate teams to get a better understanding of the fundamentals of oil and gas operations as it relates to their work, their organizations, and their clients.
One of the exercises involved the development of a fictional oil and gas field. The participants had to apply what they had learned to assess the risks and potentials of the field, and make decisions about viability, investment, operations, and so on. They also went through case studies from Nigeria and beyond to get an even better understanding of operations, pitfalls, and opportunities in the sector. The faculty’s subject matter expert made presentations on local content regulations as well as the new Petroleum Industry Act and how it impacts various aspects of energy operations and community relations.
The chairman of Aradel Holdings, Mr. Osten Olorunsola, was hosted by the Chairman of Lapis Nigeria Limited, Dr. Femi Bajomo, and they spent an evening with the OGDF cohort, discussing the opportunities and challenges of the next chapter in Nigeria’s oil and gas development story. Mr. Olorunsola identified the industry’s need for long-term strategic planning, of which human resource development is key.
By the end of the course, the participants went away with not just certificates, but with the confidence that they are better equipped to deliver on their responsibilities, having gained a much better understanding of the oil and gas industry. They have also formed bonds with other professionals from organisations and disciplines beyond their own, and are part of a very dynamic Lapis Nigeria training alumni community.
We at Lapis Nigeria Limited and our training partners, HOT Engineering GmbH, are encouraged by the very positive feedback on the OGDO and OGDF trainings. We’re particularly pleased to learn that the participants are already making a demonstrably greater impact in their organizations. Our goal for the subsequent editions of the training is to keep improving the quality of the course content and to make it even more customised to the Nigerian operating context. The Lapis Nigeria Limited OGDO and OGDF courses offer excellent world-class quality instruction and practical training in-country at a bargain.
The next editions of the courses are slated for March 2026 and September 2026 and we guarantee that they will be even more exciting and rewarding for the participants and their organizations that share the vision of a highly skilled and constantly developing workforce to lead the nation and industry towards our goal of energy security.