Nigerians looking for work in the country's oil and gas industry will need to be able to demonstrate their competence in IT, according to Olugun Bamidele, managing director of the RayBam ICT Training and Consultancy Sector in Lagos.

Speaking to Vanguard, he explained that in the near future, oil and gas companies will come to view IT training as a prerequisite for all employees working in the energy sector.

"For any potential employee to fit into any department of these organisations, that person requires IT training," he told the paper.

His statements follow the recent incorporation of the Local Content Act into Nigerian law, which aims to ensure that local workers receive priority access to jobs and training in the country's oil and gas industry.

The government is also moving ahead with a training initiative to support ex-rebels in the Niger Delta region who downed their weapons after an amnesty signed in October last year.

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