International oil companies have been urged to stop flouting the Nigeria local content law and thwarting maximum utilisation of Nigerian services and assets. The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, gave the assurance that his board and the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) will continue to ensure Nigerian companies get more projects in the oil industry.
Wabote stated this at the delivery ceremony of the biggest Egina oil-loading terminal at Aveon fabrication yard, Rumuolumeni Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The Executive Secretary, at the occasion which was attended by key-players in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, observed that some multinational oil companies that don’t want to comply with the Nigerian content law and grow local capacity, often seek excuses not to give Nigerian companies projects that could otherwise be done locally.
Wabote said multinational oil companies should encourage local content rather than looking for ways to circumvent the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) of 2010. He emphasised that the NCDMB remains committed to ensuring the enforcement of the local content Act. According to him, no major oil and gas projects that are deliberated upon by the federal executive council that are not referred to the NCDMB.
The Executive Secretary who described Aveon fabrication yard as one of the largest in the world, explained that it was regrettable that some multinationals oil companies had sometimes given lack of big fabrication yards as excuse to import fabricated facilities into Nigeria.