Lokpobiri Tasks New NCDMB Council Members To Raise Bar Of Local Content Development

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator, Heineken Lokpobiri, has tasked the new governing council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on the need to raise the bar of local content development.

Lokpobiri said this during the inauguration of the 4th NCDMB Governing Council set up under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.

President Bola Tinubu on December 7, 2023, announced the committee members chaired by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Lokpobiri, while the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, was named the Secretary of the Council.

Other members include the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power, and New Energy, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mrs. Oritsemyiwa Eyesan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe.

It also has the representative of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Bekearedebo Augusta Warrens and the Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Nicholas Odinuwe.

Others include the Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr. Olorundare Sunday Thomas, Chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering (COREN), Prof. Sadiq Abubakar and the representative of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF), Dr. Raphael Samuel.

The minister said the NCDMB has recorded tremendous achievements in the oil and gas industry in the last 13 years of its existence and has achieved many of the set objectives.

But he said there was room for improvement, according to a statement by the NCDMB.

Lokpobiri solicited the “cooperation of the new Council members to raise the bar of Nigerian Content development. Many African countries are coming to understudy Nigeria’s Local Content model and it was incumbent on Nigeria to deepen the level of implementation and stay ahead of other nations.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Olorundare Sunday Thomas speaking at the event appreciated the minister for his nomination and promised to uphold the confidence reposed in them.

He affirmed that NCDMB has performed creditably, and Nigerian Content implementation had become the envy of many countries.

He said, “A lot of value has been added to the oil and gas industry and the Nigerian economy, and I thank those who originated the NOGICD Act. We will do our best, and we will continue the good work started by the NCDMB.”

In his reaction, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, promised to work closely with all the members of the governing council to make a difference.