Energy

By Maureen Chigbo/Realnews THE wrangling in the oil and gas sector involving the operations of the Nigerian Development Content Development and Monitoring, NCDMB, may either abate or worsen in the coming days. President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, May 9, appointed Ekperikpe Ekpo, minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), as co-chairman of the Governing Council of the NCDMB. Before this, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), has been the chairman of the governing council since December 7, 2023, when the governing council members were inaugurated. The Nigerian Oil and Gad Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act provided for only one chairman who is the the minister of petroleum. President Bola Tinubu is the de facto minister of petroleum with two mi...

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reassured oil and gas stakeholders that  service companies and other manufacturers that have established capacities in the country will continue to enjoy patronage through the award of contracts from operating companies in the sector. The Executive Secretary NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe made this commitment on Friday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State when he led officials of the Board and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to visit companies that deliver pipe coating and related services. The team visited Brightwaters Energy Limited, formerly known as Willbros Nigeria Ltd, Solewant Nigeria Limited and...

...PR The Co-Chair of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo on Thursday in Abuja received in audience the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe. The meeting provided an opportunity for the Executive Secretary and the Board’s top management to brief the Minister on the agency’s mandate, activities and initiatives. The presentation dwelt extensively on the Board’s third-party investments, over 60% of which are gas based. The NCDMB team informed the minister that the investments are in furtherance of the Federal Government’s plan to power the Nigerian economy with gas resources as well as the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Conten...

...PR In line with his avowed commitment to establish a more efficient, targeted, and consistent approval process for unique oil and gas projects in the country, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), as the Co-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). This is also to further ensure effective oversight of the gas aspect of the nation’s assets. The President remains committed to unlocking Nigeria’s immense gas potential to stimulate industrial development, job creation, and sustainable economic growth.

Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), made this charge when he paid a visit to the Daewoo Galvanizing Plant situated at Abam –Ama, in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers state, during the week. The galvanizing plant which is ready for commissioning was initiated on the back of the NLNG Train 7 project, boasting a load-out capacity of 10,000 metric tons and contributing to a total in-country capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year. Spanning an area of 87,000 square meters, the plant applies a protective zinc coating to steel, serving to safeguard against corrosion. This application is particularly significant in the oil and gas sector, where it aids in the resilience of equipment against harsh environmental cond...

By Ono Yima The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has transferred the regulatory oversight of the Electricity Market in Enugu State to Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC). NERC did this in reliance on the Electricity Act 2023 (Amended). The EA also mandates any state that intends to establish and regulate intrastate electricity markets to deliver a formal notification of its processes and requests NERC to transfer regulatory authority over electricity operations in the state to the State Regulator. It should be noted that Ekiti State had earlier been granted same. The regulatory oversight function is to be performed in Ekiti by Ekiti Electricity Regulatory Board (EERB). The full details of NERC Approvals, conveying the regulatory function to Enugu Stat...

By Ono Yima The Federal Government plans to further unbundle the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) in the countries. According to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, their coverage areas are too big, which makes them practically impossible to manage. He further said that the operation of our power sector has been left in the hands of the private sector and they have messed it up. He revealed that part of the plan underway is to franchise unserved areas under the DISCOs. “We are unbundling the Discos along state lines. Some of the Discos are too big for efficiency. They are too big for effectiveness. Ibadan Disco covers seven states. It is practically impossible for them to be efficient. “So we are rearranging and restructuring the Discos along state lines so that ...

Engr. Simbi Wabote By Ono Yima Engr. Simbi Wabote, the immediate past Executive Secretary, NCDMB, has alleged that his problem with the Minister for State, Oil, Heineken Lokpobiri, started in December 2023, when the Minister, through his undocumented Aide, requested for NCDMB budget to be inflated by N30b for his office and he (Wabote) refused.  “My problem as ES [Executive Secretary] started with Lokpobiri in December 2023 when he sent one of his undocumented aides within his Ministry to my office in Yenagoa, requesting me to increase the NCDMB budget by N30 billion for the office of the Minister and I said it had never been done before. I served two Ministers and none of them have ever made such a request to NCDMB; that we only make provision for the office of the chai...

By PR The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe has commended Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and the Bayelsa State Government for the completion and inauguration of a Learning Centre and Digital Library at Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma, Bayelsa State.  The state-of-the-art facility which boasts three floors – a 2,300-seater Library Building – and a fully equipped digital library, also has a Wi-Fi Lounge, offices, digital educational technology rooms, a 500KVA generator housed within a purpose-builtexternal structure, 500KVA transformer, a dedicated water facility and overhead tank, a restaurant/recreation hub, etc. Engr. Ogbe, represe...

By PR A Nigerian Content Non-Compliance (NC-NC) Remediation Training Programme of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) kicked off in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Monday with 20 Nigerians drawn from all over the country participating in the 12-month scheme. The training, which centres on critical skill sets such as Piping Engineering, Project Engineering, Safety Engineering, and Electrical Engineering, as well as basics in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is being sponsored by the NCDMB as part of human capital development to boost indigenous participation in the nation’s oil and gas industry.   Speaking at the kick-off ceremony, the General Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate of NCDMB, Ms. Lekoma S...