Nigeria’s oil & gas industry: Pay trends for electricians, engineers, project managers, IC&A specialists

Michael Adesina

Nigeria’s oil and gas sector stands as one of the most competitive employment destinations for technical professionals. It offers high base salaries, extensive allowances, and exposure to large-scale capital projects.

Recent data from a 2,888-worker survey shows sustained upward pressure on pay across electrical, safety, mechanical, project management, and instrumentation roles.

The findings below combine public pay benchmarks from PayScale, Glassdoor, MySalaryScale, World Salaries, and industry sources with statistically modeled medians (P50) and top-decile (P90) figures to give a realistic picture of earnings this year

Electricians and Electrical Specialists

Electrical reliability is critical for every facility — from refineries to gas plants and FPSOs. Downtime costs millions of dollars, so experienced electricians are in demand to maintain power distribution, MCC panels, and instrument wiring.

Key job titles:
Electrician • Senior Electrician • Electrical Technician • Electrical Supervisor • Lead Electrician • Electrical Maintenance Coordinator • Instrument & Electrical Technician • Electrical Shift Lead • Electrical Foreman • Electrical Engineer • Senior Electrical Specialist
Median and top-90% pay (annual):
• Electrician: ₦1.90m median, ₦3.10m P90
• Senior Electrician: ₦2.70m / ₦4.20m
• Electrical Technician: ₦2.20m / ₦3.60m
• Electrical Supervisor: ₦3.60m / ₦6.00m
• Lead Electrician: ₦4.20m / ₦6.60m
• Electrical Maintenance Coordinator: ₦4.80m / ₦7.20m
• Instrument & Electrical Technician: ₦3.60m / ₦5.80m
• Electrical Shift Lead: ₦3.20m / ₦5.40m
• Electrical Foreman: ₦3.80m / ₦6.20m
• Electrical Engineer: ₦4.80m / ₦7.20m
• Electrical Specialist: ₦4.80m / ₦8.0m
• Senior Electrical Specialist: ₦4.20m / ₦9.00m

PayScale’s ₦915k annual average and World Salaries’ ₦0.9m–₦2.9m range align with these medians, with oil and gas jobs skewed toward the upper end. Job boards such as Hot Nigerian Jobs report ₦200k–₦250k monthly for mid-career electricians. Offshore packages, including hazard allowances, push earnings into the P90 range.

HSE and HSSE Engineers
Safety professionals safeguard personnel, environment, and assets. Companies value these roles for ensuring compliance with Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) regulations and international safety standards.
Key job titles:
HSE Engineer • Senior HSE Engineer • HSE Advisor • HSE Manager • Safety Officer • HSE Coordinator • Senior HSSE Coordinator • HSE Lead • Environmental / HSSE Specialist • HSE Auditor
Median and top-90% pay (annual):
• HSE Engineer: ₦6.00m / ₦12.00m
• Senior HSE Engineer: ₦8.40m / ₦14.40m
• HSE Advisor: ₦7.20m / ₦13.20m
• HSE Manager: ₦10.80m / ₦18.00m
• Safety Officer: ₦4.80m / ₦8.40m
• HSE Coordinator: ₦4.20m / ₦7.80m
• Senior HSSE Coordinator: ₦12.00m / ₦16.00m
• HSE Lead: ₦12.60m / ₦19.80m
• Environmental / HSSE Specialist: ₦6.60m / ₦12.60m
• HSE Auditor: ₦7.20m / ₦13.20m
Felton Energy’s published ₦200k/month offer sits near the lower quartile, while multinational operators such as Total reportedly offer expatriate packages of ₦17m annually, setting the P90 range for senior HSSE roles.

Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical teams guarantee uptime for critical rotating and static equipment. With LNG Train 7, modular refineries, and gas monetization projects in progress, demand for mechanical engineers remains high.
Key job titles:
Mechanical Engineer • Senior Mechanical Engineer • Mechanical Maintenance Engineer • Mechanical Lead • Rotating Equipment Engineer • Mechanical Project Engineer • Mechanical Supervisor • Mechanical Engineer (Facilities) • Mechanical Design Engineer • Mechanical Engineer (Integrity/Reliability)
Median and top-90% pay (annual):
• Mechanical Engineer: ₦6.00m / ₦12.00m
• Senior Mechanical Engineer: ₦8.40m / ₦15.00m
• Mechanical Maintenance Engineer: ₦7.20m / ₦13.20m
• Mechanical Lead: ₦10.20m / ₦18.00m
• Rotating Equipment Engineer: ₦9.60m / ₦17.40m
• Mechanical Project Engineer: ₦7.80m / ₦14.40m
• Mechanical Supervisor: ₦7.20m / ₦12.60m
• Mechanical Engineer – Facilities: ₦7.80m / ₦13.80m
• Mechanical Design Engineer: ₦6.60m / ₦12.00m
• Mechanical Engineer – Integrity/Reliability: ₦9.00m / ₦16.20m
These numbers exceed Nigeria’s cross-industry mechanical average of ₦4.2m. Offshore premiums and project bonuses can lift senior engineers well into eight figures.

Project and Construction Management Roles
Project management roles control billion-naira budgets and tight deadlines. Every day of delay on a shutdown or commissioning project impacts output, making these roles some of the most valuable in the sector.
Key job titles:
Project Manager • Senior Project Manager • Project Director • Project Control Engineer • Project Engineer • Project Lead – Construction • Project Lead – Maintenance • Project Coordinator • Lead Shutdown Maintenance Project Coordinator • Project Execution Manager • Construction Manager
Median and top-90% pay (annual):
• Project Manager: ₦12.00m / ₦24.00m
• Senior Project Manager: ₦16.80m / ₦28.00m
• Project Director: ₦21.60m / ₦36.00m
• Project Control Engineer: ₦9.00m / ₦16.80m
• Project Engineer: ₦7.80m / ₦14.40m
• Project Lead – Construction: ₦15.60m / ₦27.60m
• Project Lead – Maintenance: ₦12.60m / ₦22.80m
• Project Coordinator: ₦4.80m / ₦9.60m
• Lead Shutdown Maintenance Project Coordinator: ₦18.00m / ₦26.00m
• Principal Project Manager: ₦15.00m / ₦26.40m
• Project Execution Manager: ₦15.00m / ₦26.40m
• Construction Manager: ₦16.20m / ₦28.80m
Independent benchmarks confirm project managers can earn ₦15m–₦28m annually, with shutdown leaders at the top due to the cost of downtime.

Instrumentation & Control and IC&A Engineers
Instrumentation and Control specialists maintain and calibrate sensors, control valves, PLC/DCS/SCADA systems, and safety instrumented systems, ensuring process stability and regulatory compliance.
Key job titles
Instrument Technician • Senior Instrument Technician • Instrumentation Engineer • Lead Instrumentation Engineer • Instrument and Control Engineer • Instrumentation Supervisor • Instrumentation Maintenance Engineer • Control Systems Engineer • DCS Engineer • PLC Engineer • SCADA Engineer • Analyzer Technician • Metering Engineer • E&I Technician • E&I Supervisor • Turbine and Compressor Controls Engineer • Functional Safety Engineer • SIS Engineer • Control and Instrumentation Project Engineer • Instrumentation Commissioning Engineer

Median and top 90% pay (annual)
Instrument Technician: ₦3.60m median, ₦6.00m P90
Senior Instrument Technician: ₦4.80m median, ₦7.80m P90
Instrumentation Engineer: ₦7.80m median, ₦13.80m P90
Lead Instrumentation Engineer: ₦10.20m median, ₦18.00m P90
Instrument and Control Engineer: ₦8.40m median, ₦15.00m P90
Instrumentation Supervisor: ₦6.60m median, ₦11.40m P90
Instrumentation Maintenance Engineer: ₦7.20m median, ₦12.60m P90
Control Systems Engineer: ₦9.00m median, ₦16.20m P90
DCS Engineer: ₦9.60m median, ₦17.40m P90
PLC Engineer: ₦8.40m median, ₦15.60m P90
SCADA Engineer: ₦9.00m median, ₦16.80m P90
Analyzer Technician: ₦4.20m median, ₦7.20m P90
Metering Engineer: ₦8.40m median, ₦15.00m P90
E&I Technician: ₦4.20m median, ₦7.20m P90
E&I Supervisor: ₦6.60m median, ₦11.40m P90
Turbine and Compressor Controls Engineer: ₦10.80m median, ₦18.60m P90
Functional Safety Engineer: ₦12.00m median, ₦20.40m P90
SIS Engineer: ₦10.80m median, ₦18.00m P90
Control and Instrumentation Project Engineer: ₦9.60m median, ₦17.40m P90
Instrumentation Commissioning Engineer: ₦9.60m median, ₦17.40m P90
IC&A Engineer: ₦8.40m median, ₦14.40m P90
Senior IC&A Engineer: ₦10.80m median, ₦18.00m P90
IC&A Lead: ₦12.60m median, ₦21.00m P90
IC&A Maintenance Engineer: ₦9.60m median, ₦16.80m P90
IC&A Commissioning Lead: ₦12.60m median, ₦21.60m P90
IC&A Systems Engineer: ₦9.60m median, ₦17.40m P90
IC&A Project Engineer: ₦9.00m median, ₦16.20m P90
IC&A Reliability Engineer: ₦10.20m median, ₦18.00m P90
IC&A Integration Engineer: ₦9.60m median, ₦17.40m P90
IC&A Manager: ₦16.20m median, ₦28.80m P90

Outlook and Strategy
The pay curve is steep: professionals with certifications (PMP, NEBOSH, COREN, TÜV) and offshore experience quickly move toward P90. Employers should budget near the median for steady hiring, reserve P90 for scarce skills or shutdown coverage, and review pay quarterly to keep pace with inflation and FX swings.
Nigeria’s push for gas monetization, refinery completion, and production stabilization means strong demand will continue. Retention bonuses, skill premiums, and competitive allowances will remain key to attracting electricians, safety experts, mechanical leads, and IC&A specialists who keep production targets on track.