Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, has intensified efforts to expand participation of Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, declaring that over 25 million Nigerians living with disabilities would be integrated into the sector’s value chain through skills development, financing, and business opportunities.
The commitment was affirmed at a knowledge-sharing workshop themed, “Beyond Inclusion: Creating Real Opportunities in Oil and Gas for All Abilities,” held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, represented by the Board’s Manager, Government Relations, Mr. Teddy Bai, said Nigerian Content was designed to build the capacity of all Nigerians, including persons living with disabilities.
He urged participants to take advantage of opportunities available through key NCDMB programmes, including the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System, NOGICJQS, the Field Readiness Training Programme, and the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund.
According to him, “Nigerian Content is about developing the capacity of all Nigerians, including over 25 million persons with disabilities. We encourage participants to leverage opportunities available through NCDMB initiatives such as the NOGICJQS, the Field Readiness Training Programme, and the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund.”
The Board also highlighted its ongoing interventions targeted at PWDs, including vocational skills acquisition, empowerment programmes, business support initiatives, provision of starter packs, and donations of mobility aids aimed at improving economic participation.
Emphasising the Board’s vision, Bai said, “Beyond inclusion is opportunity, and opportunity for all abilities is what Nigerian Content truly means.”
He cited the recent South-South Regional Final of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad, where students from the University of Benin developed an innovative solution to assist visually impaired Nigerians, describing the project as evidence that innovation thrives when barriers are removed.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, Bayelsa State Chapter, Hon. Ekpomokumor Mayor Doutimiareye, commended NCDMB for consistently supporting persons with disabilities through training and capacity-building programmes.
He expressed the association’s readiness to deepen collaboration with the Board to ensure more PWDs benefit from opportunities within the oil and gas industry.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Dise Ogbise-Harry underscored the economic and social benefits of meaningful inclusion, urging persons with disabilities to acquire relevant skills and position themselves for emerging opportunities across the energy sector.
The workshop featured presentations on oil and gas industry opportunities for PWDs, interactive engagement sessions, and discussions on strategies to enhance accessibility, participation, and economic empowerment within Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
