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| Engr.Simbi Wabote (3rd from left) with other Panel Discussants |
Reported
by Ali Elias
The direct
and indirect influence of NCDMB (Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring
Board) is being felt in nearly all sectors of the Nigerian economy; even though
its core mandate, as a regulator, is in area of local content monitoring and
development in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. The Board has done so well that
they have become a model, and working with other older and emergent oil
producing countries, in Africa to guide their local content implementation.
In
recognition of their outstanding service, the Executive Secretary of the Board
was, in October this year, awarded the national honour of National Excellence Award in Public Service by President Muhammadu
Buhari (GCFR)
Speaking
today, as a Panelist, under the topic, Maximizing Gas as a Catalyst for
Industrialization, at the 11th Practical Nigerian Content (PNC)
Forum, at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, South South Nigeria, Mr. George Onafowokan, the
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Coleman Wires and Cable, had
this to say on how NOGAP (Nigerian Oil and Gas Park- an initiative of NCDMB)
has impacted him as a manufacturer.
“The initiative is commendable. We should
commend NCDMB. I said if 50% of MDAs do their job, but some people said 10%,
Nigeria would be a better place, be a different country
“You can see
NCDMB standing out; and doing 100% of its job, and looking like doing 50% of
other MDAs’ job. So we don’t need other MDAs to do 100% of their job. If they
do 10, 10, 10, percent of their job (at NCDMB’s level of efficiency) Nigeria
would be a better place.
“NCDMB is a
shining light.
“The
advantages of NOGAP is such that anybody who has not thought about that should start
to have a rethink. It is an integrated solution industrial zone. It’s a place
where you don’t need to worry about energy, power, road, water; and nobody is
stressing you. No omonile (Land touts).
“I appreciate it when Nigerians do things that
make us better tomorrow. And NOGAP does that”
Of course
Mr. Onafowokan also gave insight into how the Nigerian cable come highly
recommended in terms of quality.
“if you ask
everyone here ‘what cable would you buy for your project?, they say ‘go and buy
made in Nigeria’
“But how did
it come to that? The cable manufacturers just came together and decided that
this is what they want to do. If I want the IOCs to buy product, I have to set
the standard at par or even above. Quality is key; quality standard is
possible” He was responding to the question posed by the moderator, “how would
you guarantee integrity of local content in what you are doing?
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| Mr. George Onafowokan, MD & CEO Coleman Wires & Cable |
Another Panelist,
also an industrialist shared the same view with Mr. Onafowokan in respect of
NCDMB and NOGAP. “NOGAP has demonstrated that you can have industrial hub in
localities. It (NOGAP) can facilitate in-country manufacturing, in that it
reduces unit production cost. So what
NCDMB is doing is commendable; it is going to signal industrialization and
local manufacturing”
One wonders,
if NOGAP, which is just an industry term for Industrial Park, can work with
operators highly commending its operation and facilities, why do the industrial
parks created by State governments end up with just clearing the part of the
identified site and commissioning it, only for it to be abandoned and later
return to its status quo: bush?
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| Mr. Felix Aremo (A Panelist) |
Contributing
to the topic the ojther Speakers in the panel pointed out the need to improve
ease of doing business, security, technology deployment, R&D, collaboration
and partnership between operators and regulators, as well as human capacity
development, as some of the elements needed to maximize gas as a catalyst for
industrialization.
The Executive
Secretary took the opportunity of the Question and Answer time to advise
operators in the industry on some of their concerns. “Most of us get to these workshops
and then agonize and agonize; that is why we set up the NCCF (Nigerian Content Consultative Forum); various sectoral
working committees, and this sectoral working groups identify the issues.
“Once the
issues are floated to us, we communicate the government agency with the issues,
to say these are the factors that are militating against the development of
this sector.
“Under the Vice President’s office is the Ease
of Doing Business office. We are severally meeting with this Ease of Doing
Business office with what we get out of the Sectoral working groups
“I will
encourage those who have these issues to actively participate in those sectoral
working committees, so that they can float your issues to us. We cannot come to
workshops like this and take all your issues. By the time we do that we would
be issue based as well.
“Even during
the peak of Covid, we established the diversity working group, which is made up
of all the ladies in the oil and gas sector. It is out of it that we created
the fund for women in oil and gas to encourage them, because they said the
entry barriers in terms of funding is the problem.
“So if you
don’t participate in those sectoral working group we wouldn’t know what your
issues are” he concluded.