Minister Inaugurates NCDMB Board, Pledges to Increase Local Content

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri has inaugurated the 4th Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Abuja.

The NCDMB governing council is set up under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act and draws membership from representatives of select institutions connected with the oil and gas industry.

The board is chaired by Lokpobiri, while the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix  Ogbe, would serve as the Secretary of the Council.

Other members include the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power, and New Energy, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mrs. Oritsemyiwa Eyesan and the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe.

Also on the board are the the representative of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Bekearedebo Warrens and the Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Nicholas Odinuwe.

In his remarks, the minister explained that the NOGICD Act provided for institutional representation on the governing council, to enable the agency to benefit from the expertise and professionalism of key organisations and change the narrative in the oil and gas industry.

He stressed that NCDMB had recorded tremendous achievements in the oil and gas industry in the last 13 years of its existence and had achieved many of the set objectives.

Responding on behalf of the newly constituted council, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Thomas, promised to uphold the confidence reposed in them.

He affirmed that the NCDMB had performed creditably and that Nigerian content implementation had become the envy of many countries.

 “A lot of value has been added to the oil and gas industry and the Nigerian economy and I thank those who originated the NOGICD Act. We will do our best and we will continue the good work started by the NCDMB,” he said.