Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria’s oil and gas local content drive risks losing its economic impact if corruption is not decisively tackled, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, has warned, as it marked the 2025 International Anti-Corruption Day in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
Speaking at the event held at the Nigerian Content Tower Conference Hall in Yenagoa, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said corruption directly erodes business confidence, distorts competition, and undermines the country’s local content aspirations.
“Corruption affects every sector, every community, and every citizen’s aspiration,” Ogbe said. “When resources meant for development are diverted, it is more than a financial loss; it is a direct betrayal of public trust and a barrier to our collective prosperity.”
Observed annually on December 9, this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day carried the global theme, “Uniting the Youth Against Corruption,” with discussions centred on how integrity strengthens economic growth and investor confidence.
Representing the Executive Secretary, Dr. Abdulmalik Alilu, NCDMB Director, Corporate Services, said the Board’s mandate to grow Nigerian participation in the oil and gas industry depends heavily on transparent and credible processes.
“Our mission to promote in-country capacity, local participation, and inclusive economic growth requires more than technical competence; it demands unwavering integrity,” Alilu stated.
He stressed that decisions taken by the Board have direct business and economic consequences.
“Every action we take, from the issuance of certificates to contract approvals and monitoring reports, has far-reaching implications for Nigerian businesses and the economy,” he said.
According to him, corruption introduces inefficiency and bias into systems meant to be fair, thereby weakening the impact of local content policies designed to grow indigenous companies.
“Your role extends beyond complying with rules,” Alilu told NCDMB staff. “It involves cultivating a culture of integrity, doing the right thing even when no one is watching.”
He urged the Board’s staff members to continue positioning the Board as a model institution, adding, “Let us reaffirm our resolve to uphold transparency as our standard and integrity as our signature.”
In a goodwill message, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU, Bayelsa State Chapter, Dr. Ebiye Tekenah-Egba, said corruption remains a major obstacle to economic development and institutional credibility.
“Corruption undermines institutions, slows development, and deprives citizens of opportunities,” she said, calling for collective action to build systems that are “fair, open, and fully accountable.”
A major highlight of the event was the presentation of technology-driven anti-corruption solutions by young innovators, reflecting the business potential of digital tools in strengthening transparency and financial compliance.
Among the showcased solutions were Trust Gate AI Solution for audit automation and whistleblowing, FundPay for addressing remittance gaps in the upstream petroleum sector, BidGuard for transparent digital contracting, and Integrity Lens, an AI-powered system using satellite surveillance to verify government projects.
Organisers said the innovations, if scaled, could significantly reduce financial leakages and improve accountability across public institutions.
The event ended with the presentation of laptops and digital accessories to the young innovators, aimed at supporting further development of their solutions and encouraging youth-led innovation in Nigeria’s anti-corruption and governance ecosystem.
