18 November 2016, Lagos – The Managing Director, Nipco Plc, Mr. Venkataraman Venkatapathy, has said the company has created opportunities for the enhancement and empowerment of local content in the industry through the diversification of the company’s operations into the natural gas space, with over 6,000 automobiles now running on gas.
He said this in a paper presented on his behalf by the General Manager, Green Gas Limited, a joint venture of Nigeria Gas Company and Nipco, Mr. Rajesh Prabhu, during the Nigerian Gas Association’s 10th International Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.
He said the development of Nigerian content through plethora of projects tailored towards harnessing of human capital remained a central objective of the company in the hydrocarbon industry.
Citing the example of the CNG projects, which had resulted in the inauguration of eight stations in Benin, Edo State, and Ibafo, Ogun State, along with four CNG workshops, the managing director said that “the efforts had provided veritable avenue for the local content to gravitate properly in this very technical aspect of converting vehicles to run on gas.”
According to him, the company is able to utilise the local content through a consistent and pragmatic policy in the area of human capital development, which has seen the organisation surpassing standards set by the Nigerian Content Development Act 2010 in all its gas projects.
Venkatapathy stated that the vehicle conversion project was being fully manned by Nigerians as against when the project took off years back.
He also cited the empowerment provided for Nigerians through the production of gas air mixers for the vehicle conversion was being done by the Nigerians in Benin City.
The MD said the company’s avowed commitment to growing indigenous participation in the CNG initiative revolved around improving indigenous ability in a pragmatic approach.
According to him, Nipco has also encouraged technology transfer within its project scope, especially in the realm of the CNG operations with all its CNG stations fully manned and maintained by Nigerians.
Venkatapathy said hundreds of Nigerians were directly employed with thousands indirectly empowered in its gas projects in all its areas of operations.
- Punch
