To Boost Manpower In Nation’s Oil Industry, NCDMB To Upgrade Pry, Sec Schools
Plans are afoot to invest in the upgrade of some primary and secondary schools in the hinterlands as a way of boosting the nation’s oil and gas industry, says the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
Executive Secretary of the Board, Felix Omatsola Ogbe gave this indication at the on-going retreat with the senate committee on local content in Abuja. The retreat started on Sunday, under the theme ‘creating synergy for sustainable local content development.’
He said the synergy between the senate and the Board was necessary because of the need to forge closer collaboration between the two entities and achieve improved implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
He underscored the importance of collaboration with relevant stakeholders in managing and growing Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry. He stated that the retreat was a key platform for actualising the needed collaboration, describing the National Assembly as one of the most important stakeholders to collaborate with.
Ogbe said the Board was focused on fulfilling the mandate set out by the NOGICD Act-to build the capacity of Nigerian companies and people to participate in the oil and gas industry and to monitor the compliance of oil and gas companies.
He maintained that his major objective in the current role was how to sustain the growth of Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry, noting that the Board under him operated as a business enabler, supporting the value chain efficiency and project delivery.
According to him, “consistent with the recent Presidential Directives on Local Content and in line with our Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the oil and gas industry, we are simplifying our processes and accelerating our approval timeline to enable business delivery.”
the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in her speech lauded the successes that have been recorded with the implementation of the NOGICD Act, especially in the development of critical assets and the emergence of Nigerians with the requisite skills to deliver complex projects and lead operations of the oil and gas industry.
She also spoke on the need for on-the-job training and direct training programmes by the oil and gas industry for the board’s staff. The retreat featured presentations from key directorates of the Board, including the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu, who discussed how monitoring activities are carried out by the Board, to ensure that operating and service companies comply with the provisions of the NOGICD Act.
