By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Senate Committee on Local Content has reiterated the need for equitable distribution of oil and gas benefits across all regions of the country.
The Committee has also commended the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for its ongoing efforts to deepen local participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
This is a requested update on the construction of the NCDMB Industrial Park located in Orogun.
The committee’s Chairman, Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas (APC Delta South) and Vice Chairman, Senator Ede Dafinone (APC Delta Central), after a two-day oversight visit to the NCDMB headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Thomas said NCDMB had demonstrated the requisite capacity for actualisation of the objectives of the Act setting it up.
He reaffirmed President Tinubu’s commitment to growing local capacity in the oil and gas sector.
In his remarks, Dafinone expressed satisfaction with the board’s progress and said the committee was impressed not only by the physical infrastructure but also by the wide range of capacity-building programmes implemented by it for the benefit of Nigerians.
He said, “This is the first oversight visit of the 10th Senate to the NCDMB. We had the opportunity to meet with the Executive Secretary (ES) and his team to understand their work and the results we’re seeing for Nigerians.
“We are impressed. The industrial park is nearly finished and already being occupied. But beyond the physical structures, the NCDMB’s work extends to training and human capacity development programmes that are crucial to the sector and our national development.”
He also noted that the board presented a self-assessment report indicating that 56 per cent of the workforce in the oil and gas sector is now made up of Nigerians, a significant milestone in local content development.
Dafinone reiterated “the need for equitable distribution of oil and gas benefits across regions”, stressing that Delta Central, being part of the oil-producing Niger Delta, deserves robust infrastructure, skills training centres, and economic opportunities for its people.
He requested an “update on the construction of the NCDMB Industrial Park sited in Orogun.”
During the visit, the Committee met with NCDMB’s leadership, discussed local content development in the oil and gas industry, and engaged in technical meetings aimed at verifying NCDMB’s compliance with the true intent of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
The committee members also toured key NCDMB projects, including the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPs), the NCDMB Gas Hub, the Conference Hotel building project, and the NCDMB Crèche.
