Safety Isn’t Optional — It’s the Engine of Efficiency in Nigeria’s Energy Sector

In the high-stakes world of oil and gas, where downtime can cost millions and lives hang in the balance, safety isn’t just a checkbox—it’s the foundation for operational excellence. Across developed countries like the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom, this reality has been institutionalized, with stringent safety protocols embedded within every aspect of upstream, midstream, and downstream operations.

But in Nigeria, where the oil and gas sector accounts for over 86% of export earnings and nearly half of government revenue, safety is often treated as an afterthought—a regulatory hurdle rather than a driver of productivity. In an interview with an industry veteran Fidelis Othuke Onyeke, an instrumentation and controls engineer with over 15 years of experience, believes it’s time for that to change.

“You can’t have efficiency without safety,” Onyeke insists. “The most productive facilities are the safest ones. That’s not just theory—it’s been proven globally, and Nigeria must internalize that lesson if we want to remain competitive.”
Onyeke’s work spans some of Nigeria’s most complex energy projects, including high-profile gas production and alarm management optimization efforts with Shell Petroleum Development Company.

Under his leadership, alarm flood incidents were reduced by 80%, while uptime increased by 35%—results that translated into over $300 million in revenue gains in 2015 alone. His approach mirrors global best practices seen in countries like Norway, where the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) enforces a risk-based, preventive safety culture.

Similarly, in the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) have strict mandates to ensure that operational risks are mitigated through continuous assessment, automation, and personnel training.

According to Onyeke, Nigeria must adopt similar mechanisms—not just in policy, but in practice. “In the U.S. and EU, safety is integral to engineering design, commissioning, and operations,” he said. “But in Nigeria, we often treat safety as a post-project checklist. That must change.”

Nigeria is not without regulatory institutions. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) are all charged with safeguarding technical and operational integrity.

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) also plays a key role in enforcing standards. However, despite these agencies’ mandates, enforcement often falls short due to weak oversight, limited technical capacity, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

“Nigeria must invest in its regulators—technically and financially,” said a senior official at NUPRC who requested anonymity. “Without modern tools, trained personnel, and real-time data systems, enforcement is reactive instead of preventive.”

To truly elevate safety as a pillar of efficiency, experts recommend a multipronged approach. First, Nigeria should mandate functional safety reviews at all project phases. In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) embeds risk assessments into every stage of project execution. Nigeria must legislate similar practices under the NUPRC. Second, engineers and operators should be trained and certified in internationally recognized safety protocols, including TÜV-certified functional safety programs and ISO 45001-aligned systems.

Third, digitization is key. Real-time monitoring and centralized alarm dashboards, as implemented in Shell’s Bonga FPSO under Onyeke’s leadership, should be scaled across Nigerian assets. This will improve responsiveness, reduce human error, and enhance accountability. Fourth, enforcement must be backed by a tiered sanction system. Just as PHMSA in the U.S. imposes escalating fines for violations, Nigeria’s regulators must introduce punitive frameworks that encourage compliance and deter neglect. Finally, government and oil companies should co-finance a national safety innovation fund to drive local R&D for corrosion prevention, leak detection, and emergency response technologies.

As the global energy landscape shifts toward smarter, safer, and more sustainable operations, Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind. The cost of inaction is too high—not just in naira, but in lives, environmental damage, and missed economic opportunities.

“Safety is not an expense. It’s an investment with exponential returns,” Onyeke concluded. “When Nigeria gets that right, efficiency will follow.”