Ike Amos
Lagos — The Federal Government, Tuesday, inaugurated the new members of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), urging them to align with the 10-year strategic roadmap of the agency.
The new members who were inaugurated for a four-year tenure are: Mrs. Peace Oyanbo Owei, representative of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources; Engr. Sarki Auwalu, representative of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR); and Engr. Farouk Sa’id, representative of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Others are Mr. Olorundare Thomas, representative of the National Insurance Commision (NAICOM) and Mr. Nicolas Odinuwe, representative of Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN).
Speaking in Abuja, during the inauguration of the Council, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, called on the Council to develop policies and programmes that would domesticate petroleum refining and grow the capacity of indigenous operators in the country.
He stated that the NCDMB’s 10-year Strategic Roadmap launched in 2018 is a key compass to ensure that Nigeria derive more value in-country from its hydrocarbon resources, especially as by 2027, the roadmap’s target is to achieve 70% per cent Nigerian Content level in the oil and gas industry.
Sylva noted that in the midst of so much uncertainty around COVID-19 pandemic and instability in the world oil markets, Nigeria must look inwards to explore all the opportunities to further diversify and insulate the economy from external shocks.
He said, “I want this goal to be achieved so that we are able to domesticate petroleum refining, domicile manufacturing of industry requirements, extract value from gas, and position Nigerian operators and service providers at the fore-front of play in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the industry.
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“I therefore call on the in-coming members of the NCDMB Governing Council to do all they can to ensure that the set target is met by supporting the ongoing initiatives and by laying the foundation for the upcoming initiatives during your tenure.
“I want your decisions to be sound, timely, and in tune with the Next Level agenda of Mr. President which is largely under-pinned by creation of jobs for Nigerians. I have no doubt that you will deliver on these expectations.”
Also speaking, Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote, disclosed that the COVID-19 pandemic had revealed that there are existential threats.
According to him, the ability of a country to cater for its people in a safe and secure environment was inversely proportional to its level of reliance on importation.
He said, “Our reflection is that we are not fully at our destination but the situation could have been worse if not for the NOGICD Act. We are set and we are looking forward to the next decade of NCDMB with a sense of purpose to deliver on our mandate.
“We need the support, and indeed look forward to the backing of the Governing Council to make this goal a reality.”
