NCDMB Shelves 10-Year Commemoration of NOGICD Act

NCDMB Shelves 10-Year Commemoration of NOGICD Act

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, has announced the postponement of the proposed activities to mark the 10th year celebration of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.

While felicitating with management and staff of the board and the entire oil and gas industry on the 10th anniversary of the enactment of the Act, Wabote said the move a decade ago was a watershed in the history of the growth of local content in the Nigeria oil and gas sector.

The Executive Secretary conveyed his compliments during the virtual town hall meeting he held with staff of the board to mark the anniversary which was attended by about 90 percent of the board’s staff from different cities across the country.
The NOGICD bill was signed into law on April 22, 2010 and it eventually gave birth to the NCDMB, which is headquartered in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Wabote explained that the board had elaborate plans to celebrate the momentous achievements recorded over the first decade, but had to postpone it alongside other scheduled programmes because of the coronavirus pandemic and escalating effects across the country and the globe.

He noted that the restriction of movement in most parts of the country had necessitated the adoption of virtual work mode by the board to ensure business continuity.

During the meeting, Wabote charged every staff of the board to start adjusting to the new reality because post-covid-19 would entail a lot of adjustments in the company’s way of doing business, even after a vaccine for the virus is discovered.

Wabote, also used the opportunity to commend President Muhammadu Buhari, members of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on covid-19 and all frontline medical personnel for the diligent and courageous work they are doing to contain the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria.

He hailed the courage displayed by of the president in banning the importation of rice and some other food items in 2019, a decision that he said encouraged local rice production that has helped the country to avert food crisis during this pandemic.

The Executive Secretary also asserted that covid-19 has taught Nigerians the key lesson that the country must urgently pursue local content and self-sufficiency in every sector of its national life.

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