
Mkpoikana Udoma
05 November 2018, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt — A group known as Niger Delta Youths Coalition for Peace and Progress, NDYCPP, says it is working on a bottom-top approach, to ensure active participation of Niger Delta youths in the upcoming Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, Train 7 project.
The NLNG Train 7 project, which aims to increase the company’s gas production capacity from 22 million tonnes to 30 million tonnes per annum, at an estimated cost of $4.3billion, according to the company, would provide at least 78,000 jobs.
Leader of the group, Mr. Kennedy West, said that NDYCPP was building the capacity of the host communities to benefit from the project, in order to create harmony amongst actors towards achieving a win-win situation.
West explained that the group would liaise with young entrepreneurs as well as the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, in sensitizing the youths of the region on the opportunities in the project.
He said that the involvement of the host communities in the project would further enhance peace and security as anybody with business ties to it would do everything to ensure its survival.
According to him, “We have been making efforts to sensitize our people who have expertise in several aspects of the oil and gas sector on the big opportunity before us in the NLNG’s Train-7 project.
“There are so many opportunities and for those who already have the capacity we are linking them up. For those who lack the capacity, we have built up their skill base so that they can fit in.
“We are collaborating with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and the NLNG Limited to host a business opportunity roundtable for stakeholders in the NLNG Train-7.
“The Managing Director of NLNG will be leading other Managing Directors of many international oil companies participating in the project to the summit to be held in Bonny Island.
“This is the first time a bottom-top approach will be applied to create harmony amongst actors in the field towards achieving a win-win situation in a project like this.”
West, who is also the Special Assistant to the Bayelsa State Governor on Niger Delta Youth Matters, expressed optimism that the project would boost the local content drive of the Federal Government, especially if the host communities were factored into the project at the planning stage.
“We are encouraged by the stand of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB that there must be significant level of Nigerian content in this huge project.
“This feat is achievable if we harness the existing capacity and match it with opportunities. So in working closely with NCDMB, we will showcase what we have to ensure that whatever can be done in Nigeria is given to Nigerians.
“In so doing, Nigerian businesses will be given opportunities to reduce the dominance of foreigners in the Nigerian oil and gas industry space.”