– Chevron reaffirms commitment to Nigerian Content
Mkpoikana Udoma
Yenagoa — Nigeria’s push for energy-sector industrialization is reaching a new milestone as Solewant Group announced the upcoming commissioning of a fully automated coating plant within its Onne Industrial Park, in Rivers State, a landmark that industry leaders say reflects the maturing impact of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s, NCDMB, decade-long vision.
Speaking at the 2025 Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair, NOGOF in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Chairman of Solewant Group, Engr. Solomon Ewanehi, described the project as a bold step toward reversing Nigeria’s dependence on foreign technology and production systems.
Ewanehi praised institutions like NCDMB, PETAN, and OGTAN for creating what he called an “ecosystem where individual excellence flourishes,” noting that Solewant’s evolution over 25 years from a single-vision enterprise into a group with multiple subsidiaries, including Solewant Nigeria Ltd and Solewant Energy Training Institute, is a testament to the strength of local content development.
“We are writing a new chapter in the story of Nigerian investment and industrialization. This automated coating plant, developed in collaboration with Euro-American partners, is ready for commissioning in a few weeks, and it’s a game-changer in pipeline protection and energy transition.”
The 2025 NOGOF, themed “Driving Investment and Production Growth Through Indigenous Capacity Development,” gathered major industry stakeholders, including top officials from Chevron Nigeria Limited, NUPRC, Seplat Energy, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and the NNPC Ltd.
Chevron Nigeria Limited’s Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. Jim Swartz, reinforced the company’s longstanding commitment to Nigerian content, saying Chevron was already implementing local content policies before the 2010 NOGICD Act came into law.
“Chevron remains one of the IOCs that continues to demonstrate commitment to growing production and adding to Nigeria’s already impressive portfolio. From the onshore to the swamp, to offshore and deepwater, we still maintain a strong footprint in Nigeria, because we believe in working best with Nigerians.”
Swartz praised NCDMB for not only regulating the sector but also playing “a very supportive and partnership role” in fostering innovation, job creation, and sustainability.
