Oil and Gas Transparency Group Backs Reforms in NCDMB

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

The Transparency in Petroleum Exploration and Development Initiative, (TIPEDI) a group of experts monitoring operations in the nation’s oil and gas industry, yesterday backed the current reforms going on at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

TIPEDI, in a statement by its Secretary, Dr. Michael Amaegberi, said the review of the organisational structure and competency assessment of staff members in the organisation, being carried out by KPMG, would ensure efficiency and better service delivery.

It noted that the restructuring being carried out by the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote, would ensure that the organisation is ahead of big organisations being monitored in terms of capacity.

“The review of organisational structure, we understand will help define clearly, departments and units and requirement for officers to occupy various positions. Also, after the exercise, the Board will be able to determine where additional manpower will be needed”, the group said.

The oil and gas transparency group lauded all staff members and particularly top management for submitting themselves to the recently completed competency test.

TIPEDI also commended KPMG for a thorough study of the job description of all staff, their current capacity and what is required to function in their respective offices.

According to the group, this will help reveal where there are inadequacies on the part of staffers and where the NCDMB management can deploy the training budget after identifying appropriate and relevant training programmes.

It called on management to sustain the ongoing conduct of staff verification, which was started before the appointment of Wabote, to rid the Board of the employment of those it described their process as faulty.

Amaegberi, however, expressed the NGO’s concern that from investigations, it has observed that some workers who are against the ongoing reforms were being fed with wrong information on the intentions of the management.

“Our interaction with NCDMB Management reveals that the exercise will not lead to the dismissal of any staff or in any way deny anyone of their promotion as long as their employment process as well as qualifications are in order.”

“We also advise the NCDMB management to ensure regular interaction with staff and open different channels of communication to intimate the in-house union of proposed policies and changes in the organisation, in order to foster harmonious relationship”, it said.