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1/ Shell is a common feature in the career history of most of upstream oil executives in Nigeria.
3 things account for this:
1, Shell had the largest footprint in oil and gas in Nigeria, in fact Shell developed the industry for Nigeria;
3 things account for this:
1, Shell had the largest footprint in oil and gas in Nigeria, in fact Shell developed the industry for Nigeria;
2/
the initial contract Shell had with Nigerian government in the 1960s, was they can find oil anywhere in Nigeria, a sort of blank cheque; so Shell had a lot of employees compared to other IOCs and trained many generations of Nigerian oil and gas professionals
the initial contract Shell had with Nigerian government in the 1960s, was they can find oil anywhere in Nigeria, a sort of blank cheque; so Shell had a lot of employees compared to other IOCs and trained many generations of Nigerian oil and gas professionals
3/
2. As Shell began to divest in their smaller fields in the last 15 years, the non-oil moneybags that bought them needed people that are familiar with the history of those small fields, so they began to poach Shell managers and execs to help them with those fields.
2. As Shell began to divest in their smaller fields in the last 15 years, the non-oil moneybags that bought them needed people that are familiar with the history of those small fields, so they began to poach Shell managers and execs to help them with those fields.
4/
For this reason, there is hardly and independent oil producing company in Nigeria that doesn’t have a former Shell staff
3. Compared to other IOCs, Shell is generally believed to build entrepreneurial spirit in their personnel.
For this reason, there is hardly and independent oil producing company in Nigeria that doesn’t have a former Shell staff
3. Compared to other IOCs, Shell is generally believed to build entrepreneurial spirit in their personnel.
5/
So some of them went ahead to buy those marginal fields themselves and started their own small oil companies. Exxon is #2 here. I personally have not seen a former Chevron guy that owns or leads an independent oil company.
So some of them went ahead to buy those marginal fields themselves and started their own small oil companies. Exxon is #2 here. I personally have not seen a former Chevron guy that owns or leads an independent oil company.
6/
– Nigerian oil and gas industry, especially at the top, is like one close family. They all know themselves and are usually former colleagues from these IOCs (Shell in particular). Most of them are ex-Shell. And the skills are so limited.
– Nigerian oil and gas industry, especially at the top, is like one close family. They all know themselves and are usually former colleagues from these IOCs (Shell in particular). Most of them are ex-Shell. And the skills are so limited.
7/7
30 years experience in various projects makes you invaluable. So most of these guys just phone one another to recruit GMs and EDs and even CEOs for the smaller companies.
30 years experience in various projects makes you invaluable. So most of these guys just phone one another to recruit GMs and EDs and even CEOs for the smaller companies.
