The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has, in partnership with Industrial Training Fund (ITF), trained 255 youths in nine vocational skills.

The board disclosed this in a statement issued by its management, in Abuja, on Sunday 30^th August, 2020.

It said the six months training that was being funded by the NCDMB and would be conducted by the ITF would cover classroom and intensive practical exercises in Hospitality and Tourism, Mobile Phone Repairs and Troubleshooting.

Others areas of interest, it said, include Information and Communication Technology, Electrical/Electronic Technology and Industrial Automation and Mechatronics.

Also, Instrumentation and Process Control, Mechanical Services & Maintenance, Residential Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Maintenance and Building Technology.

It added that the beneficiaries were selected from the Board’s NOGIC-JQS platform, with representation from the six geo-political zones of the country.

”A further selection exercise was organised for the trainees, involving computer-based tests and oral interviews in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt,” it added.

It quoted the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr Simbi Wabote at the kick off ceremony as saying that the initiative was consistent with the objectives of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act and NCDMB’s 10-Year Strategic Roadmap.

This, he said, targeted at growing Nigerian Content from 27 per cent in 2017 to 70 per cent by 2027.

“The Roadmap also aspires to retain over14billion dollars out of 20 billion dollars estimated annual industry spend in the country and create over 300,000 direct and indirect employment.

”The intent of the NCDMB/ITF collaboration is to close gaps in vocational and entrepreneurship skills among Nigerian youths, drive self-employment and value creation in the oil and gas industry.

“Also, linkage sectors and address youths’ redundancy and loss of economic value of human capital needed to drive economic growth.

‘Part of the goal is also to strengthen the linkage between the oil and gas industry and other sectors of the Nigerian economy and complement the Federal Government`s efforts towards job creation and diversification of the Nigerian economy,” he added.

Wabote further highlighted the premium NCDMB places on human capital development.

According to him, from the inception of the Board in 2010, over 9,000 Nigerians have benefitted from our training in various skill areas for graduates and artisans resulting in over 10 million training manhours.

He assured that NCDMB would continue its training interventions and widening its coverage to vocational and entrepreneurship skills, which are critical to the creation of employment, sustainable growth and diversification of the Nigerian economy.

He expressed delight over the Board’s partnership with ITF, which had excelled in the strategic role of leading the development of knowledge and skills in the various sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Source: NAN

Executive Secretary, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Simbi Wabote, said that adequate evidence had proven that sustainable Local Content practice reduced the cost of oil and gas projects in addition to creating job opportunities and economic prosperity.

Wabote disclosed this in a statement signed by its Corporate Communications and issued to newsmen on Saturday 29^th August, 2020 in Lagos.

He also disclosed that it saved $2 billion on Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Nigeria LNG Train 7 Project through the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act implementation.

He spoke at a workshop held for the judiciary via zoom which drew over 117 participants, including Justices of the Supreme Court, Appeal Court, National Industrial Court, Federal High Court and external solicitors.

He gave example with the LNG Train 7 EPC bid, where Saipem Contracting Nigeria and its consortium, won the contract with lower bid, leveraging on 50 years commitment to local content and investments in Nigeria.

”In the concluded LNG Train 7 project contract awarded, the difference in price between Saipem that had established itself in Nigeria and the second lowest bidder coming from outside the country was $2 billion.

“That’s a huge sum of money that this country would have lost if not for the drive for the development of local content.

“The other consortium had no footprint in the country and it proposed to put extra $2 billion on the back of the project to develop local capacity to execute the project.

“This is evidence of cost savings associated with the development of local content,” he said.

Wabote noted that developing local content and building capacity would always entail some costs at the beginning.

According to him, such costs ultimately gets reduced overtime and creates jobs and stability in the polity.

He also clarified that the focus of Nigerian Content implementation was not Nigerianisation, rather it encouraged domiciliation of capacities and promotion of foreign direct investments and home grown investments.

The executive secretary said the NOGICD Act would always protect investments in the country, adding that companies that built capacities were given first right of refusal in industry projects.

“The law is a protective instrument for businesses. There are cable manufacturers in Lagos.

“If there is any opportunity to supply cables to oil and gas companies in Nigeria, those companies have the right of first refusal,” he said.

Also, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, described the implementation of local content policies across the globe as an apparatus through which citizens of oil rich countries derive value from crude oil resources.

Muhammad that was represented by Justice Olukayode Ariwoola thanked NCDMB for enhancing the judiciary capacity to dispense justice from an informed and contemporary position, particularly as it related to Local Content development and oil and gas operations.

Source: NAN

Edo Government says the ongoing Modular Refinery project at Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state, will on completion, drive the state’s industrial revolution quest.

Mr Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to Gov.

Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, made this known in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Sunday.

He said the Edo Modular and Refinery Company Ltd. and AIPCC Energy, were on the verge of completing the 5,500bpd Edo Modular Refinery, now at 70 per cent completion stage.

“This is a key legacy project by the Gov. Godwin Obaseki-led administration to recalibrate the state’s industrial base, birthed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). adsbygoogle || []).push({});

“The project, sited at Ologbo in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, would produce from its feedstock 50 per cent of diesel (500,000 litres), 25 per cent of naphtha (300,000 litres) and 20 per cent of fuel oil (200,000) litres.

“The crude is to be sourced from the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company’s (NPDC) facility – oil mining lease (OML) 111, near Benin City.

“The Chinese consortium handling the construction of the modular refinery is made up of Peiyang Chemical Equipment Company of China (PCC), Sinopec International Petroleum Service Corporation (SIPS) and African Infrastructure Partners (AIP),” he said.

Osagie said the modular refinery project was among the growing list of ongoing legacy projects through MoU with local and international private investors, which included the 55MW CCTEC Ossiomo Power Plant, which had been completed and ready for use.

“The Benin Enterprise and Industrial Park, which development is ongoing and the Benin River Port, for which preliminary works are ongoing,” he said.

He said the governor was committed to resetting the economy of the state for prosperity and industrial growth.

According to him, the local content component of the refinery project ensures that Edo citizens are trained in welding, refinery operation and fabrication works to enable them participate in the construction of the refinery as well as its operation, post-commissioning.

“The refinery is at 70 per cent completion and we are very sure that it will soon be ready for commissioning,” Osagie said.

He added that the actualisation of the project was premised on the governor’s smart thinking and financial savviness from which he mobilised funds and resources to initiate and execute the project.

“Recall that the Edo State EXCO approved the release of N700 million as redeemable preference shares (investment) in the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Ltd.

“The venture is expected to create legitimate employment opportunities, thereby reducing poverty, provide job opportunities for teeming youths in the communities.

“To facilitate the establishment of a fabrication yard as proposed by the promoters and create basis for expertise, professionalism and further training in the oil and gas industry.

“The take-off of the Edo Refinery and Petrochemicals Company benefits from a series of groundwork by the Obaseki-led administration that led to the setting up of Edo Investment Scheme Ltd.

“A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to hold N2 billion investment funds in which the Ministry of Finance Incorporation (MOFI) and the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) are to hold shares of 20 percent and 80 per cent respectively,” he said.

Osagie noted that the project would facilitate the state’s investment in various initiatives across the oil and gas sector, petroleum exploration, drilling and filling stations, sales and supply of gas, agro-allied products, petroleum and petrochemical products and other related businesses.

Source: NAN