In line with the unwavering commitment of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board NCDMB to further deepen its footprints in the Nigeria oil and gas industrial sector, the Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe has disclosed the board concluded plans to establish three NCDMB zonal offices across the Niger Delta region.

Unveiling this laudable stride of the board while presenting his keynote address at the ongoing Practical Nigerian Content Forum PNC 2024, held in the NCDMB Tower Yenagoa Bayelsa State, with the theme: Deepening the Next Frontier for Nigerian Content Implementation, Engr. Ogbe emphasized that opening three offices will undoubtedly enhance transparency, accessibility, and timely monitoring and execution of projects in the sector.

It will invariably give the host communities the right sense of belongingness by bringing them closer to the board, thereby facilitating quicker resolutions to the most pressing issues, increasing human capacity building development through training of Indigenous host communities, and also facilitating contractors from host communities’ access to job opportunities available in the sectors through the board’s Back-To-Creek Initiative.

“As part of our commitment of the board to further deepen Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry, we are committed to developing more conducive and befitting zonal offices and we are working with our partners to establish these offices next year in Akwa Ibom, Rivers State and Delta State, This will enable us to deploy our personnel across the directorates thereby making zonal offices fully operational unlike what is obtainable today,” Engr. Ogbe stated.

 Engr. Ogbe seized the opportunity during his keynote address to highlight the scorecard of the numerous achievements of the board barely one year after he assumed office as the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB. He stated that these achievements are in line with the 10-year strategic roadmap mandate which is built by the five strategic pillars and supported by four enablers.

“Some of our achievements include construction of Amal Technologies Gas Leak Detection in Abuja, Kwale Gas Gathering and Injection facilities in Kwale Delta State, we have made 312 local content approvals for the IOCs, issued 402 Local Content compliance certificates, and reduced contract circle to six months.

Other achievements of the board include; the commissioning of Bell Oil & Gas 50,000 tons of capacity for OCTG threading machining for drilling operations in Lekki Free Trade Zone, Daewoo 10,000 metric tonnes galvanizing pipe plant at Aba-Ama in Port Harcourt, the establishment of Nigeria Oil and Gas Parks Scheme in Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Cross Rivers States, Nedo Gas Gathering and Injection Facility in Kwale& ButaneEnergy 180 metric tonnes LPG Filling Plant in Kaduna and 100 metric tonnes of LPC storage and bottling plant in Katsina,” Engr, Ogbe enumerated.

In the area of capacity building and human capital development, the Executive Secretary stated that the board in partnership with the other major stakeholders in the sector has positively improved the lives of many Nigerians especially the members of oil and gas host communities through tangible training, jobs, and contract opportunities.

“We have initiated cadets training of 63 cadets and foreign ongoing vessels in partnership with Shell, we have launched an internship program with 49 graduates Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists, the commencement of NLNG Train & Project – Nigeria Content human capacity development basic training for 331 Nigerians,” ES added

Other major developmental strides of the board include the commissioning of the Engineering Design Studio and Information Hub at the Federal University of Technology Owerri in the corroboration of NLNG. Similarly, NCMB has also completed and commissioned the e-learning library at the Niger Delta University Amassoma Bayelsa State in partnership with Shell and its JV ventures.