By Adewale Sanyaolu
NLNG has said no country has advanced by learning technology in someone else’s language, stressing that Germans speak German while Chinese code in Chinese.
Speaking at the panel session titled “Technology as a Local Content Imperative: From Adoption to Domestication” at the NOG Energy Week 2025, Olakunle Osobu, Deputy Managing Director, NLNG emphasised that technology was the bedrock of modern energy systems and must be developed to empower every Nigerian.
“We must begin to do the same by writing algorithms in our local languages, and building tools that reflect our voice and reality.”
He further reinforced its call for the urgent need to domesticate technology as a key pillar for deepening local content in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
“Our industry is one of the largest consumers of technology. To thrive in it, you need to be precise, predictive, and forward-looking. But beyond using technology, we are focused on simplifying it and promoting its adoption in a language and format our people can understand,” he said.
He added that true technology development must reflect national ownership. “No country has advanced by learning technology in someone else’s language. Germans speak German. The Chinese code in Chinese. We must begin to do the same by writing algorithms in our local languages, and building tools that reflect our voice and reality.”
Osobu also highlighted the importance of policy alignment, noting that unless technology is treated as a national development priority, Nigeria will continue to struggle with ownership and innovation.
“Domestication must start with inclusion. If people can read and write, they should be able to use technology. That’s where we begin. That’s how we expand access.”
Referencing NLNG’s journey, Osobu shared a clear example of the company’s commitment to local content through its flagship Train 7 project:
“At NLNG, we are at advanced stages in the construction of our Train 7 project, and I can tell you that over 90 per cent of the contractors on that project, starting with the Project Director, are Nigerians. Why is that possible? It’s because we successfully built six trains over the lifetime of NLNG and Nigerians worked alongside international counterparts. So, by the time Train 7 came on board, it was clear we could practically deliver it ourselves. Thanks to NCDMB, we had the institutional support to make it happen.”
“Nigerians are present on oil rigs across the world. When they retire, they are sought after in Calgary, Singapore, and elsewhere.
I believe it’s time for that expertise to shape our continent. We have Namibia, Senegal, Ghana, Mozambique, Angola and the likes all discovering oil and Nigerians should be the experts helping in those countries. They no longer need to look to the West. We must begin to lead.”
Osobu also pointed to innovations such as the African keyboard, which enables the use of African languages in digital systems, as a step toward true technological identity.
He concluded that NLNG will continue to work with policymakers and partners to ensure that domesticated knowledge becomes the foundation for Nigeria’s future in gas and beyond.
“As we continue to adopt and promote technology at NLNG, our goal is to ensure that this knowledge is rooted in our local context, simple, inclusive, and transformative,” he said.
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