The 4th Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) was inaugurated on Thursday in Abuja by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil).
Established under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, the NCDMB Governing Council comprises representatives from various institutions associated with the oil and gas sector.
President Bola Tinubu initially announced the members of the new NCDMB Council on December 7, 2023. Senator Heineken Lokpobiri will chair the council, with Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, serving as the Council’s Secretary.
Other members of the council include Mrs. Oritsemyiwa Eyesan, the Executive Vice President of Gas, Power, and New Energy at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd; Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC); Mrs. Bekearedebo Augusta Warrens, the representative of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources; Mr. Nicholas Odinuwe, the Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN); Mr. Olorundare Sunday Thomas, the Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM); Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, the Chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering (COREN); and Dr. Raphael Samuel, the representative of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF).
In his remarks, the Minister congratulated the members of the Governing Council on their nomination, noting that it was based on their expertise and experience in various fields of endeavour. He explained that the NOGICD Act provided for institutional representation on the Governing Council, to enable the agency to benefit from the expertise and professionalism of key organisations and change the narrative in the oil and gas industry. He confirmed that NCDMB had recorded tremendous achievements in the oil and gas industry in the last 13 years of its existence and had achieved many of the set objectives. He solicited the cooperation of the new Council members to raise the bar of Nigerian Content development. He added that 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.
Speaking further, the Minister stated that one of the core mandates of the NCDMB is to build indigenous human and infrastructural capacities so that Nigerians can play critical roles in the oil and gas industry. He highlighted that NCDMB was one of the few agencies chaired by the Minister, attributing it to the importance of the organisation to the national economy. He also mentioned that section 75 of the NOGICD Act mandates the Governing Council to manage and superintend the affairs of the Board among other duties.
Responding on behalf of the newly constituted council, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Olorundare Sunday Thomas thanked the Minister for the 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 comments, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe promised to work closely with all the members of the Governing Council to take the Board to greater heights.
