Construction of Ondo Oil, Gas Park to Begin Soon, NCDMB Assures Govt, Investors

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

Construction of a low-cost manufacturing hub for equipment components and spare parts used in the oil and gas industry was set to begin in Ondo State soonest, according to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).   

Located at Ilaje, Ilaje Local Government Area of the State, the facility is one of six being built in different parts of the country under NCDMB’s Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGAPS) in furtherance of its corporate mandate to develop in-country capacity in the oil and gas industry.

A statement signed by Esueme Dan Kikile, Manager, Corporate Communications, made available to THISDAY, in Yenagoa, said  NOGAPS, at Odukpani, Cross River State, and at Emeyal 1, Bayelsa State, are at 99 per cent completion. 

NCDMB’s Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Akintunde Adelana, told a gathering of top government functionaries, including Ondo State Acting Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, industrialists and investors as well as representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union (EU), that the agency was conceived to provide, “a springboard to galvanise different sectors of the Nigerian economy.”

He remarked that the oil and gas industrial parks, developed by the Board in conjunction with Shell Petroleum Development Company, ExxonMobil and Nigerian Agip Oil Company (with particular reference to NOGAPS, Emeyal 1 and NOGAPS, Odukpani) consist of manufacturing shop floors and factories, warehouses, training centres, mini estates, fire stations, truck parking and holding spaces, hostels and administrative blocks.

They were intended to eliminate importation of equipment components and spares required in oil industry operations.      

Speaking on Day 1 of the ongoing, “Develop Ondo 2.0 Investment Summit,” in Akure, Adelana stated that in line with the core mandate of the Board, which revolves around, “domesticating and domiciling value-adding activities in the oil and gas industry,” regulations on utilisation of home-grown resources, that is, local manpower, technical services of indigenous firms, goods manufactured locally as well as raw materials available in the country, have been rigorously enforced.      

With specific reference to Ondo State, he emphasised that NCDMB wants, “to align with the State Government, support the State to ensure that her dreams and aspirations come to reality.”

He said Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centres have been built in parts of the State to facilitate digital education and thus equip the youth with appropriate skills for gainful employment and self-development.      

On the Board’s role in facilitating access to energy, Adelana, who represented the Board’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, said an effective way of doing it was by building capacities, which NCDMB has done consistently since its creation in 2010 through trainings for manpower development, equity participation in companies like Waltersmith Modular Refineries, blending plants and cylinder manufacturing companies, as well as strategic interventions in funding to indigenous companies through the Nigeria Content Development Fund, and sundry initiatives.

Earlier in a welcome address, the Acting Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, expressed appreciation to the organisers and assured industrialists and prospective investors that Ondo remains resource-rich and investment-friendly.