The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in executing its mandate stipulated in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, (NOGICD) Act signed into law in 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan, organized a maiden sensitization and enlightenment workshop recently in Calabar to create awareness on business opportunities in the oil and gas industry as well as enlighten the populace on their role in deepening indigenous participation in oil and gas value chain.
Speaking at the workshop, the Executive Secretary, Engr. Ernest Nwapa who was represented by the General Manager, Projects and Operations, Engr. Nathaniel Etim-Ukut highlighted the challenges of the Board and disclosed plans to establish a favorable business environment for small businesses which will be achieved by establishing Industrial Parks in oil producing states.
Engr. Nwapa further hinted on the thrust of the Board which is to carry the Nigerian Content message to the grassroots with the cardinal objective of promoting community participation and integration of community entrepreneurs and assure these communities of the Federal Government’s determination to create capacity and get people employed through the recently introduced Nigerian Content Employment Initiative, (NCEmI) directly linked to industry skill requirements to fully deepen their participation in exploration and production activities.
The Executive Secretary disclosed that the practice in the past was oil and gas operations was done by foreigners without the active participation of indigenous manpower but now local participation is encouraged to develop capacity and capabilities to create wealth in order to build competencies and get Nigerian employed.
Declaring the sensitization workshop open, the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Barr. Efiok Cobham said the state has played a major role in the oil and gas sector not only in Nigeria, but the West African sub-region. Barr. Cobham who was represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State on Special Duties, Hon. Fabian Okpa noted that the promotion of oil and gas in the state is paramount and encouraged the youths to take advantage of the initiative to be self employed.
The Deputy Governor enjoined the youths of Cross River to avail themselves of the opportunities enlightened through the workshop organized by the Board as an avenue for empowerment, self emancipation and community mobilization for training and entrepreneurship in the Nigerian oil and gas industry to enable the state regain its pride of place amongst the oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta.
Speaking on the benefits of the NOGICD Act, the National Legal Adviser of the Association of Community Leaders of the Nine Oil Producing States in Nigeria, Barr. Leo Ekpenyong charged indigenes of the state to eschew complacency and assert themselves of opportunities abound in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.
In a vote of thanks, the Zonal Coordinator, Cross River/Akwa Ibom Zone, Mr. Uduak Obot expressed the Board’s appreciation to the government and good people of Cross River State in their collaborative effort and effective turn out at the maiden edition of the workshop. Mr. Obot also commended the stakeholder interest of entities in the corporate Cross River which indicated a genuine willingness to turn around the economic fortunes of the state to ensure young Nigerians effectively grasped the purpose for which Nigerian Content Board was established.
Highpoint of the sensitization workshop was a Raffle Draw with entries from the eighteen local government areas of the state which had Mr. Ayan Esoso Ebaye of Ikom local government area emerge winner. Mr. Ebaye, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Cross River University of Technology, (CRUTECH) will be a recipient of the Board’s capacity building initiative.
