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  • …inaugurates NNPC, NNRA, NCDMB boards

    …inaugurates NNPC, NNRA, NCDMB boards

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday inaugurated the boards of three government agencies.

    They included the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) and Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

    President Buhari noted that the new boards were coming at a time the global petroleum industry was witnessing a downturn in purchase, which resulted in dwindling production by most producer nations.

    He said that the importance of the boards cannot be overemphasised as oil and gas are the country’s foreign exchange earners.

    He said: “Your job should be to ensure propriety in the management of these most important national institutions. You should advise the minister and the corporation management on the most effective way for Nigeria to get more money from our assets.

    “Nigeria has been hit by the misfortunes of oil industry but several countries have been hit much harder.

    “The composition of the board will be chaired by the Minister of State Petroleum and other well selected persons who have both the experience and knowledge to drive the NNPC into harnessing its potentials and fulfill its expectations to the nation even at this challenging time in the oil and gas industry,” he added

    He said that his expectations from the members of the boards is for them to ensure that the NNPC charts a way to face the current economic challenges.

    Charting a new course, he said, will involve a careful look at the ongoing reforms designed to steer the corporation to achieve better performance and efficiency.

    He also charged the boards to explore more innovative ways to resolve the joint venture funding constraints and other investment issues.

    Buhari noted that there had been an improvement in transparency through publishing of monthly operational and financial report of the corporation since his administration came on board.

    “This, added to the major restructuring of the corporation and the liberalization of the downstream sector, are pointers to the determination and focus of the new NNPC under this administration.

    “Finally, I must mention that the task before you is enormous, but I am confident that with your wealth of experience and knowledge of members of this boards, the desired growth, this government aspirations and indeed the aspirations of Nigerians will be achieved within a reasonable time frame,” he stated.

    Kachikwu, who is the chairman of the three boards, thanked the President for giving the boards members the opportunity to serve.

    He said: “We have heard your kind words of wisdom and the steer you have given us in terms of ensuring transparency, focus and thinking outside the box in a bid to finding solutions to many of the problems that plague many of these parastatals.

    “We assure you that the people you have appointed are competent, experienced and nationalistic and will do the very best to reduce the burden on your shoulders in terms of the management and steer of these institutions.

    “For NNPC, a lot, like you mentioned, has already been achieved but a lot still needs to be achieved and we will be working with the management through the board to try and get them to where they should be,” he said

    For the NCDMB, he said that the challenge to grow local content is more apparent now when Nigerians are out of work and because of the need for local contracting companies to replace foreign contracting companies.

    “There is indeed an urgency of yesterday to ensure that the new NCDMB will move Nigeria forward to make sure Nigeria gets the benefits,” he said.

    He said the NNRA would assist the country towards seeking alternative power sources to power villages and cities across the country.

    “Mr. President, be reassured we will continue to work night and day to fulfill the mandate you have given to the Nigerian people and the steer and transparency that you have continued to exhibit as you rule this country,” he said

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the inauguration, Kachikwu said: “Some of the expectations that we set for ourselves are to get various boards of the parastatals of the ministry all inaugurated before the end of the year.

    “There are six of them. Three have been inaugurated today. The other two, which are PPPRA and PTI, would be inaugurated by myself in the next couple of days.

    “With that, we have completed the whole process of inaugurating all the boards.”

    He said that the appointments were not done to compensate anybody.

    The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engineer Simbi Wabote said that a new challenge had been given to the board to take the Nigerian content to the next level and enable Nigerians to participate actively in oil and gas sector.

    He said: “To transfer the needed know-how to ensure that as Nigerians we are the ones responsible in moving the oil and gas sector to the next level. A lot has been achieved in the Nigerian content, for now we have to notch it a step higher than it is today.

    “There will be a lot of transparency as charged by the Presidency, and we will come up with a clear Nigerian content blueprint and everybody will be aware of where we want to be in the next five years.

    “Nigerian content is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We will take our time to do what is right to ensure that we attract foreign investments into the country while managing our local resources effectively.”

  • NCDMB to reduce contracting cycles

    The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is to review tenders on strict timelines. This is to shorten the long contracting cycle, its Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, has said.

    He spoke at the Nigerian Gas Association’s conference in Abuja.

    He said the board would speed up its approval processes to ensure that Nigerian Content reviews and approvals did not delay the execution of projects. “We will strike a balance; we will not stop reviewing tenders but we will ensure that projects are executed speedily, so that Nigerians benefit and there are in-country value additions,” he added.

    He praised his predeccessors for their achievements, adding that NCDMB would review its performance since the enactment of the Nigerian Content Act in 2010 and to set agenda for local content value addition in the next five years.

    He noted that the Board would adopt a pragmatic approach adding that “our strategy will take into account the current realities in the industry, the job creation drive of the Federal Government and national aspirations for the oil and gas industry provided in the seven big wins document launched by Mr. President.”

    Wabote charged stakeholders, local service providers, particularly members of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) to embrace proposals for longer contract tenure of at least five years to support the reduction of the contracting cycle, capacity building and asset acquisition.

    He challenged PETAN to articulate a sustainable Community Content Strategy that would facilitate the participation of genuine community contractors in oil and gas projects so as to promote peace and tranquility in oil producing communities.

    According to him, Nigerian Content activities must go beyond the project phase and extend through the life cycle of projects.  He pledged to develop a policy on Community Content to integrate community contractors in ancillary activities supporting the oil and gas industry.

    Former Managing Director of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Company (NLNG) Mr. Chima Ibeneche also reinforced the need for a properly articulated and executed Local Content policy, adding it would lead to cost reduction for operating companies.

    PETAN Chairman, Mr. Bank-Anthony Okoroafor, charged the Board to speedy the lending from the Nigerian Content Fund (NCDF) to deserving service companies in support of in-country value addition, calling for the abolition of call-off contracts.

  • Local content’ll boost defence sector, says NCDMB chief

    The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, has said the adoption of Local Content policy in the operations of the defence sector, particularly in the manufacturing and maintenance of security equipment and development of software, will boost the sector.

    Wabote made the statement when he delivered a lecture to participants of the Nigerian Defence College, Course 25, in Abuja.

    Speaking on the topic ‘Local content policies and national security: An assessment of the oil & gas sector,’ he charged military authorities to also consider adopting local content in the production of security clothing, construction of security vessels and include the policy in other security contracts, especially in offshore locations and maritime facilities.

    He pledged the support of the Board to the Defence community in developing a unique local content policy that would fit its operations.

    According to him, the implementation of local content in the oil and gas industry has yielded enormous achievements, including employment generation for thousands of Nigerians, skills acquisition, local manufacturing and asset ownership.

    He advised sectors such as power, telecommunications, and construction to adopt the policy.

    The NCDMB chief noted that countries, such as Ghana, Kenya, Gabon and Oman, have also adopted some of the local content models implemented in Nigeria. He described Nigerian Content as a national security imperative, noting that the oil and gas industry must depend on Nigerian-owned assets and personnel to avoid a scenario where the sector is forced to shut because foreign owned assets or expatriates have to be withdrawn due to insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea region, diplomatic tensions or outbreak of an epidemic in the country.

    He said expenditure on procurement of manufactured goods gulp over 50 per cent of contracts budgets, much more than other elements aqlike fabrication, construction and engineering. This, he said, informed the emphasis of Nigerian Content implementation on in-country manufacturing and domiciliation of industry activities because of their capacity to create employment, retain spend in the economy and contribute to national industrialisation.

    He explained that NCDMB is implementing the Nigerian Content Act using a four-pronged approach that focused on Manufacturing and Infrastructure, Human Capital and Technology, Supplier Development and Funding and Asset Ownership.

    Wabote expressed satisfaction that the Board’s participation at the Defence College event last year resulted in the partnership the military has forged with Oildata Wireline Services – an indigenous service company.

    The two parties collaborated in the deployment of fibre optic technology for pipeline monitoring and protection between Ughelli and Kwale, Delta State last year and the setting up of oilfield shaped charge manufacturing facility in Nigeria with the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).

    Wabote explained that the Board was collaborating with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to implement the Cabotage Act as it pertains to the oil and gas industry.

    He noted that the number of Nigerian vessel owners in the oil and gas industry have increased to about 60 per cent – an improvement on what obtained in 2010 when the Act was enacted.

    He said the Board’s expatriate quota policy regulates the participation of expatriates in the industry through the issuance of biometric cards after confirmation that such skills are not available locally. The policy also assists the Board to electronically track their length of stay, compliance with provided succession plans and expected date of exit.

  • NCDMB, Agip partner on OPL 245 floating vessel project

    NCDMB, Agip partner on OPL 245 floating vessel project

    The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and key stakeholders in the oil and gas industry are collaborating to achieve high Nigerian Content in the Zabazaba oil field development project.

    NAOC is developing the Zabazaba and Etan deep water integrated project with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) on Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245.

    The company and the Board have organised a workshop on the Nigerian Content opportunities on the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform to be deployed in the project.

    According to NCDMB, the opportunities in the FPSO package are in engineering, procurement, construction and integration (EPCI) and that the workshop was organised to discuss the project’s scope and opportunities, harness  capacities and develop new capacities to meet the project requirements. It also provided a platform for international and local contractors to discuss possible collaborations ahead of the preparation of EPC tenders.

    The Board’s Acting Executive Secretary, Mr. Daziba Patrick Obah expressed the Board’s determination to ensure that the FPSO package is delivered in accordance with the provisions and targets set in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010.

    He noted that the Board learnt lessons from the evaluation and compliance monitoring carried out on Total’s Egina deep water project and intends to build on those lessons on the Zabazaba and Etan deep water project.

    He said the industry recorded significant capacity development initiatives on the back of Egina project, the most prominent being the FPSO Integration yard being constructed at LADOL in readiness for the Egina FPSO integration in 2017.

    “This legacy investment is a clear demonstration that major EPC projects can be leveraged to expand capacities and develop new capabilities for the benefit of the industry,” Obah added.

    NAOC’s Vice Chairman, Mr. Massimo Insulla said the company was embarking on the project “when everybody is scared of investing in the oil and gas business around the world due to low oil prices as well as factors related to global economic downturn.” He solicited the cooperation of  stakeholders to the success of the project.

    He said other workshops would be organised for other packages of the project, including the supply of line pipes for gas export, EPC for umbilicals, EPCI for pipelines, flowlines, risers and installation, EPC for SPS and wellheads and EPC for Calm buoy offloading.

    House of Representatives Committee on Local Content Chairman, Emmanuel Ekon praised NAOC for investing in the industry at a time of recession.

    He noted that indigeneous contractors had demonstrated capacity on the Egina project, expressing confidence that they would deliver on the Zabazaba project if given the opportunity.

    He assured foreign EPCI contractors that the Nigerian Content Act was not designed to exclude foreign participation in the oil and gas industry, but encourages partnership with local players, capacity building and in-country domiciliation.

  • NCDMB, others agree on crude lifting

    Contracts for lifting Nigerian crude oil will begin to yield benefits for the Nigerian economy going by the renewed commitment by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

    The Board estimated in 2013 that the Nigerian economy lost over $100 billon in five decades by allowing its crude oil to be carried exclusively by foreign owned tankers. But rising from a meeting entitled: “Crude Oil Off-takers Nigerian Content Deliverables”,  convened by the Board in Lagos , the agencies and other stakeholders pledged to grow the quantum of Nigerian content in the lifting of Nigerian crude oil by working with Nigerian shipping stakeholders to develop in-country assets capacity that meets international standards.

    They also agreed to ensure that companies that have invested in ownership of crude oil lifting vessels are given first consideration in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Oil Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.

    NCDMB, NNPC and NIMASA also committed to explore the possibility of a joint fund as part of waiver mechanism, which can be used to purchase or finance the building of a Nigerian owned crude oil lifting tankers.

    Another decision taken at the workshop was to properly define what constitutes “spend” in crude oil lifting contracts for the purpose of complying with the target of 90 per cent industry spend within the Nigerian economy set for Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) by the NOGICD Act.

    The Acting Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Mr. Patrick Daziba Obah described crude oil lifting and marketing as a major activity in the oil and gas value chain, despite the fact that Very Large Crude Carriers were highly capital intensive to acquire. He however, stressed that Nigeria will remain a major oil producer and not a major oil business value adding nation if the citizens do not own VLCCs.

    While identifying opportunities for growing Nigerian Content in crude lifting, Obah noted that VLCCs require manning by certified crew while crude oil lifting attracts opportunities for financial, insurance, inspection and other services. Other spend points in the value chain include the use of lubes and maintenance of VLCCs.

    Obah, who was represented by the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Tunde Adelana explained that the Board introduced Nigerian Content requirements for crude oil lifting in 2013 so as to maximise the value retention opportunities.

    According to him, Nigerian Content requirements for crude lifting contracts required that tankers/vessels that are selected to lift Nigerian crude would grow Nigerian Equity Ownership, create sea time attachment for five Nigerian cadets and create employment and training opportunities and utilisation of Nigerian service providers such as financial, insurance, legal and inspection services.

    He underscored the collaboration of NNPC in introducing the Nigerian Content requirements for crude lifting, assuring that the Board would intensify its monitoring of companies that secured Crude Oil Term Lifting Contracts to ensure their compliance with the requirements.

    Speaking further, Adelana explained that the workshop was convened to harness the views of stakeholders and secure their collaboration towards deepening Nigerian content implementation in crude oil lifting.

    The General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD) of the NNPC, Mr. Adokiye Tombomieye pledged the determination of NNPC to enhance Nigerian participation and maximise Nigerian Content in the lifting of Nigerian crude oil and charged Nigerian firms desirous of participating in the business to comply with the requisite standards with regards to the vessels they put forward in the tenders.

    He confirmed that the utilisation of Nigerian service providers by firms selected to lift Nigerian crude had increased from 50 per cent in 2010 to 75 per cent in 2015 and has helped to reduce capital flight, increased in-country spend and created job opportunities for Nigerians.

    On the requirement to attach at least five Nigerian cadets per cargo for the purpose of obtaining requisite sea time experience and international certification, Tombomieye noted that Nigerian crude was sold Free on Board (FOB) hence,  marketers do not own the vessels and are often unable to secure slots for the cadets.

    An Assistant Director at NIMASA, Mr. Victor Egejuru also confirmed that the agency was collaborating with the Board and NNPC to grow local participation in the marine sector of the oil and gas industry.

    While noting that inadequate sea time experience and certification were hindering locally trained seafarers from getting hired by sea going vessels, Egejuru said NIMASA was now addressing the challenges by making it mandatory for vessels operating in Nigerian waters to give a specified number of Nigerians opportunity for sea time experience. He noted that this new requirement was now a condition for obtaining waiver renewals from NIMASA.

  • Uganda seeks NCDMB’s local content model

    A delegation from the Republic of Uganda has visited the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in its quest to model the development of Uganda’s local content policies after the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, considered to have achieved immense benefits for the Nigerian economy.

    The 20-man delegation was led by the Director of Petroleum in the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Mr. Ernest Rubondo and the Counselor, Ugandan High Commission in Nigeria, Mr. Nurh Byarufu. Other members  included regulators, bankers, oil industry executives among others and they sought strategies for local vendor development, capacity building of their citizens to meet industry standards, ensuring compliance by operating and service companies, transparent bidding process among other subjects.

    In his remarks, Rubondo said the East African country was at the cusp of investing $20billion in the development of 15 oil fields, construction of a refinery and an export pipe line- projects, expected to be completed within five years.

    According to him, the leadership of the country were determined to retain a substantial part of the $20 billion spent within the country, hence their mission to share Nigeria’s experience in local content which would help their country succeed in that regard.

    Welcoming the delegation, the Acting Executive Secretary, Mr. Daziba Patrick Obah commended the Ugandan Government for identifying Nigeria as a shining example in the implementation of local content, noting that other African countries such as Kenya and Congo Brazzaville had also sought Nigeria’s mentorship of their local content initiatives.

    He also extolled the Ugandan officials for deciding to institutionalise local content at the onset of their oil and gas industry as it would guarantee tangible benefits for their citizens aside the revenue that would accrue from the sale of crude oil and gas.

    He said Nigerian Content has helped the government and the Nigerian people to reverse the flight of industry to foreign countries in the form of personnel, materials, equipment, fabrication and engineering designs. The Executive Secretary further said Nigerian government was the driving force behind the implementation process, stressing that strong political will was necessary to overcome powerful forces opposed to the implementation of local content.

    He advised the Ugandans to develop robust regulations  applicable to the state of their industry and technological base while encouraging collaboration with local and international stakeholders to domicile capacity in-country.

    Manager, Strategy and Policy Development Division (SPDD), Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu, said the percentage of Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry had increased from less than five per cent before 2010 to 14 per cent in 2014 and 35 per cent in 2015. He added that the Board’s interventions were expected to increase local content levels to 50 per cent by 2017.

    According to him, contracts awarded by operating companies to Nigerian service companies had also increased from about 40 per cent of total contracts before 2010 to 75 per cent in 2015, while the target was to achieve 85 per cent by 2017.

  • Engage more local experts, NCDMB tasks oil companies

    The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has tasked oil companies operating in the country to patronise or employ Nigerian experts in the industry.

    It also appealed to the youth in the Niger Delta to access opportunities in the oil and gas industry through the board.

    The acting Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Patrick Dazibah Obah, made this appeal at a one-day workshop on youth sensitisation/enlightenment held at Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje local government area of Ondo State.

    The participants were lectured on the mandate of NCDMB and its activities, relevant skills in the oil and gas industry and how to acquire them and how host communities and youth can benefit from the oil and gas industry content development act 2010.

    Obah, who was represented by the General Manager, Zonal Coordination and Board Projects, Dr. Ginah Ginah, said one of the roles of the board is to ensure the implementation of the Nigeria content in the oil and gas industry.

  • Content Board, banks discuss long-term loans to oil, gas firms

    Content Board, banks discuss long-term loans to oil, gas firms

    The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), has started  engaging banks to find ways of providing long-term funding to oil and gas firms, the Executive Secretary,  Denzil Kentebe, has  said.

    Kentebe, who spoke on the sideline of the Load-Out and Sail-Away ceremony of Chevron’s Sonam Non-Associated Gas Wellhead Platform (Sonam NWP), built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Nigerdock in Lagos at the weekend, said the discussion has become imperative to enable banks move away from the current short term facilities to oil and gas companies, as the oil industry projects are long tenured.

    He said the Board has been in discussion with banks on the issue. “Discussion with banks to ensure they (banks) don’t put pressure on oil firms is nothing new to us, because we have over time been engaging the bankers and that has been one of the areas we have been pushing them to make sure we have facilities that last for quite long and not just short term facilities.”

    He debunked allegations that the Nigerian Content Fund has remained idle while many players in the  industry couldn’t access funds to execute their jobs, or projects.

    Kentebe, who refused to be drawn as to the current value of the Fund, or the amount so far disbursed, said Nigerian companies are utilising the Fund, “therefore it is not idle,” he added.

    He said: “The Nigerian Content Fund is not idle. The Fund is being utilised by Nigerian companies. For instance, Ladol, which is in Lagos, is taking advantage of the facility, and a lot of other companies. We are doing all we can to make sure Nigerians are more aware of the Fund’s availability. We are also engaging the banks to ensure that the banks release information at their disposal that can help their clients on the standards of the facilities that can be tapped into.”

    He expressed concern over the job loss in the industry on account of low oil prices in the international market.

    The Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) as at April last year, had about $540 million. The Fund was established by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act (NOGIC Act), 2010 to address financial and liquidity challenges of local companies that operate in the oil and gas industry.

    The Fund is built through contribution of one per cent from every contract awarded to any operator, contractor, subcontractor, alliance partner, or any other entity involved in any project, operation, activity or transaction in the upstream sector. It is deducted at source by contract awarding entities and paid into designated accounts which are kept with Custodian Banks under the programme

  • NCDMB, Shell, OEMs begin work on industrial park

    The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) have begun work on a mini-industrial park, a major step towards the attainment of Nigerian Content goals.

    It took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, and it featured three original equipment manufacturers (OEMS) – Alcon, Fiddil, and Prime Atlantic – utilised by Shell for its operations. Each got 1,800 square metres within Shell’s industrial area to build facilities and domesticate some of their services.

    The Shell-promoted industrial park is in furtherance of the NCDMB’s Equipment Components Manufacturing Initiative (ECMI) introduced in 2011, to encourage OEMs and their representatives to set up facilities for manufacturing of spare parts and accessories of equipment for oil and gas operations.

    NCDMB Executive Secretary Denzil Kentebe said the event re-affirmed government’s vision of using Nigerian Content as an instrument for the industrialisation of the economy. He listed the targets of the initiative to include transformation of representatives of OEMs from “marketers to manufacturers and maximize retention of industry spend within the economy, on procurement of equipment, manufacturing, supply, installation and after sales services.”

    Kentebe identified other targets to include reversing the trend of equipment rentals by encouraging Nigerians to acquire equipment for activities, such as drilling and construction.

    He said: “To achieve the ECMI policy thrust, the board introduced the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC) as a Local Content Requirement (LCR) for participation in bids connected to the supply or utilisation of equipment in the oil and gas industry. This is to ensure that the full capacities of local manufacturers or owners of equipment are exhausted before any equipment can be imported.”

    He praised  Shell for embracing the ECMI, having obtained approval from the NCDMB in 2012 for OEM domestication scheme. He enjoined others to embrace such collaborative efforts to develop the local supply chain.

    Kentebe said domestication of local manufacturing was key to Nigerian content growth and the platform for value-adding activities, such as research and innovation, processing of local raw materials and establishment of ancillary services; all of which create employment and empowerment for youths and contributes to the gross domestic product.

    SPDC Managing Director and Country Chair Osagie Okunbor described the initiative as a key intervention of Shell Companies in Nigeria to support Nigerian Content development, adding that it would improve cycle time, enhance service delivery and engender long-term economic benefits, including employment for Nigerians.

    He listed key objectives to include increase in control, simplicity and potential for long-term cost saving.

    Okunbor, represented by the Project Director, Mr. Toyin Olagunju, said the OEMs and their Nigerian local partners were issued the NCEC by the NCDMB in 2012.  He said Shell Companies in Nigeria were committed to supporting Nigerian Content and other strategies aimed at increasing the participation of businesses in the oil and gas industry.

    “SPDC supported a Nigerian manufacturer, Egba Split Clamp Nigeria Limited, to refine their products with hydro and pressure tests. Egba clamps are now approved for use in SPDC operations and we are working towards the deployment of the clamps in our operation. We will also continue to support other manufacturing initiatives including pipe mill development, development of drilling fluids and production chemicals,” Okunbor added.

  • Indigenous participation in oil, gas contracts hits 80 per cent

    Indigenous participation in oil, gas contracts hits 80 per cent

    The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) yesterday said indigenous participation in oil and gas contracts  has moved from less than 10 per cent to 80 per cent this year.

    Its Executive Secretary, Mr. Denzil Kentebe, who spoke at the fifth Practical Nigerian Content in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, yesterday, said the board would effect from next year, insist that Nigerian- built vessels be given priority in tenders alongside Nigerian-owned vessels.

    The theme of the conference was Consolidating Nigerian Content Through Domicillation  of Industry Activities.

    According to him, the intervention will culminate in the development of a flourishing ship-building industry with all the benefits in job creation, retention of revenue and technology acquisition.

    He said: “From 2016, we will be insisting that Nigerian built vessel be given first consideration in tenders along with Nigerian owned vessels.  Our intervention will see to the development of a thriving ship-building industry with all the benefits in job creation, retention of revenue and technology acquisition.”

    He said the board’s interventions on compliance have increased participation of Nigerians in oil and gas contracts from less than 10 per cent to over 80 per cent.

    He said after  over 50 years of oil discovery and with over 14 Floating, Production, Storage & Offloading (FPSOs) built for Nigeria in foreign yards, the country is  now constructing an FPSO integration yard at Ladol Lagos.