By John Ikani
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says it has made a firm commitment to collaborate with the Nigerian Navy in entrenching integrity in the oil and gas sector, as well as to explore opportunities in promoting local content in the nation’s naval defence capabilities.
Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote made this known to newsmen after he led the Board to pay a courtesy visit to the Chief of Naval Staff, (CNS), Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja.
The NCDMB boss who noted that the Nigerian Navy is well situated to drive the security aspect of the Board’s agenda particularly in securing the nation’s shores against piracy and illegal oil bunkering, added that the agency is poised to explore and maximise further opportunities with the branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
According to him: “Most of the areas we are looking at is research and development. We are looking at ship-building, ship maintenance. I see us looking at research that will enhance the capabilities of our existing fleet.
“I also see us developing weapons together because I believe in any defence operations, you can’t continue to depend on foreign countries to supply your capabilities. You can only become a superpower if you do these things yourself. We can do all these sooner than later if the current vigour of commitment is sustained.”
He added that the Board and Nigerian Navy have agreed to set up a technical committee to look at the short, medium and long term opportunities that can be maximised.
Engr. Wabote was accompanied by the Director, Planning Research & Statistics, Mr. Patrick Obah, Director, Monitoring & Evaluation, Mr. Tunde Adelana, STA/GM Strategy and Transformation Projects and other staff of the Board.
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The NCDMB is an agency charged with the responsibility of developing, implementing and monitoring programmes that ensure steady growth of Local Content in Nigeria.
The Board was established in 2010 by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, with a core mandate to manage and grow Nigeria’s local content capacity. So far, it has lived up to its mandate.
Heritage Times had earlier chronicled NCDMB’s giant strides in 2021 under the transformational leadership of Engr. Wabote has been relentless at initiating, regulating and catalysing new opportunities that engender value-adding activities in-country and on the African continent at large.
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