By Taiye Odewale Abuja
Disagreement ensued yesterday between the Senate and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) over its claim that it has trained about six million Nigerians since the inception and was also able to reinvest $5billion out of the $20billion funds in the country’s oil and gas industry, which represents fi ve per cent participation, among other achievements.
Executive Secretary of the Board, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, spoke during a one-day public hearing by the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) and Gas Resources on local content implementation and investigation on the utilisation of the Nigerian Content Development Funds, in Abuja. Wabote also disclosed the desire of the NCDMB to increase sales of oil and gas products to $15 billion in 2027, adding that the Board had secured 36 per cent of Nigerians participation in all marine activities in the industry. He further explained that the Board had established about six world class fabrication facilities in the country, while it has also handled 60,000 metric tonnes of the fabrication capacity, which he said was at zero level before the enactment of the Act establishing the Board. “
All electrical cables used in the oil and gas operations are manufactured in Nigeria. Today we are able to manufacture 670,000 of metric tonnes of pipes in Nigeria today. We intend to establish fi ve training centres and a research centre”. Seven years ago, the Executive Secretary informed that “all fabrications, engineering and procurement activities were done outside this country which in the past 50 years resulted in a capital fl ight of $380 billion from Nigeria. Some senators, who are members of the joint committees, faulted the Executive Secretary’s claim, saying it did not tally with the reality on ground even as they called for strict adherence to the Act establishing the Board. Senators Bassey Akpan (PDP Akwa Ibom North-East), who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Gas Resources; Stella Oduah (PDP Anambra North) and Gershom Bassey (APC Cross River South), said there wouldn’t have been need for the public hearing if nothing was wrong with the law.