Energy

By PR Multibillion dollars opportunities across the oil and gas industry value chain were showcased at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair organized by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) recently in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. In his remarks at the event, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe noted that the opportunities showcased at the fair will help in rebalancing the economy and in increasing oil and gas production. He pointed that it will further deepen indigenous participation not only in upstream services but across midstream and downstream operations. The NCDMB boss told participants that the momentum must be sustained, and that they have to come together to support the local content stride in terms of procurement, capacity ...

Photo courtesy: TBI. From left: ECOWAS Commissioner for Internal Affairs; Prof. Nazifi Abdullahi Darma; President of the ECOWAS Commission; H. E. Dr. Omar Aliau Touray; President/ CE, Dangote Industries Ltd; Aliko Dangote; ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation; Sédiko Douka; Chairman, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, Sayyu Dantata, during the visit of the ECOWAS Commission to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, on Thursday, May 29,  2025. By Ali Elias The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, has declared the Dangote Refinery capable of meeting the petroleum needs of the entire West African region, describing the 650,000 barrels-per-day facility as “a beacon of hope for Africa’s future.” Touray made this st...

By PR The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe has been appointed into the Executive Board of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO). By the appointment, Ogbe becomes Nigeria’s representative on the Board of the 18-member continental body, which has its headquarters at Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Ogbe was picked for this role by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who doubles as the Chairman of the NCDMB Governing Council. The notice of the Executive Secretary’s appointment was conveyed in a congratulatory letter signed by the Director of Support Services, APPO, Mrs. Philomena Ikoko, on behalf of the Secretary-General of the organization,...

By Els William Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, has issued a strong call to investors and stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to turn conversations into commitments, declaring that Nigeria is no longer begging for investment, but offering “bankable, de-risked, and sustainable opportunities.” Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2025 Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF), the minister described the forum as more than a fair, calling it “a national platform that fosters catalytic investments.” He stated that the theme of the event — Driving Investment and Production Growth: Shaping a Sustainable Oil and Gas Industry through Indigenous Capacity Development — was both a call to action and a statement of intent. Lokpobiri...

By PR The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has charged the Management of Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Limited to upscale its compliance level with regards to Nigerian Content requirements for oil and gas industry operations. Addressing top executives of the oil company who paid him a courtesy visit at the NCDMB corporate headquarters in Yenagoa on Tuesday, Engr. Ogbe decried several cases of noncompliance observed in different aspects of the company’s operations, stressing  that NCDMB would not condone such flagrant infractions. “Complying with the law is the easiest thing to do,” he told his guests, pointing out that cutting corners is unethical and fraught with risks that could prove...

By PR The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Green Energy International Limited on Monday graduated 20 trainees in critical engineering competencies as part of a 12-month capacity building initiative for oil and gas industry operations. At a close-out ceremony at the NCDMB Training Centre in Yenagoa, trainees received international certification in their different areas of specialisation. For Piping Engineering, trainees received Autodesk Inventor Certificate, while others in Project Management and Engineering received America’s PMI (Project Management Institute) Certificate, the most widely recognised certification in the world. Trainees in Electrical Engineering had City and Guilds Certificate, while others in Safety Engineering received NEBOSH IGN (In...

By Els William The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has announced the upcoming launch of the Africa Energy Bank, with its headquarters to be located in Abuja.Speaking at the opening of the 5th Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) 2025, Ogbe described the initiative as a key step in bridging the funding gap for indigenous oil and gas companies in Africa.“I am happy to announce that the Board, alongside other stakeholders, recently formed the Africa Energy Bank with the proposed headquarters in Abuja,” Ogbe said. “The Bank will be open for business before the end of the second quarter in 2025.”The Africa Energy Bank is designed to support local operators by providing capital for projects that might ot...

By Els William The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has called on all stakeholders in Nigeria's oil and gas industry to deepen indigenous participation and invest in homegrown capabilities to ensure sustainable growth. He stated this while delivering his Welcome Address at the 5th Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) 2025 holding at the Nigerian Content Tower, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Ogbe emphasized that Nigeria must not outsource its energy security or industrial prosperity. "Our strength must lie in the expertise of our people, the enterprise of our local businesses, and the robustness of our institutions," he declared. Themed "Driving Investment and Production Growth: Shaping a Sustainable ...

By Ono Yima President Bola Tinubu has approved the issuance of critical regulatory licenses for the Kolmani Integrated Development Project — a multibillion-dollar oil exploration venture straddling Bauchi and Gombe states. The approval is seen as a key step in unlocking the potential of Nigeria’s untapped northern oil reserves. Disclosing this at the commissioning of the permanent site of the Bauchi Oil and Gas Academy (BOGAA) in Alkaleri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, described the move as part of Tinubu’s drive to reposition Nigeria’s energy sector. “This informed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for us to ensure that all outstanding critical regulatory licences for the Kolmani Integrated Development Project were issued,” Lokp...

By Ono Yima The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, to account for a missing N500 billion from crude oil sales revenue between October and December 2024. Citing a recent World Bank report, SERAP noted that of the N1.1 trillion generated during the period, only N600 billion was remitted to the Federation Account, leaving N500 billion unaccounted for. In a Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated May 17, 2025, SERAP urged Ojulari to “identify those suspected to be involved, surcharge them for the full amount involved, and hand them over to the EFCC and ICPC for prosecution.” “There is a legitimate public interest in explaining the whereabouts of the alleged...