The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has explained that the board’s mandate is pan-Nigerian, not restricted to Niger Deltans only.

The NCDMB management, therefore, urged the youths and stakeholders in the region to manage their high expectations from the board, considering that it is not an interventionist agency solely for the region.

The Board’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, made the clarifications at a strategic engagement with the media, youths, and stakeholders in Port Harcourt at the weekend.

Ezeobi said, “The NCDMB is a federal agency set up to build local capacities and enforce compliance of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry and related sectors. It is not an interventionist agency for the Niger Delta.”

He urged stakeholders to channel non-content-related demands to interventionist bodies created by the Federal Government for that purpose, stressing that NCDMB’s focus is on ensuring Nigerians play active roles in staffing, procurement, and engineering across the oil and gas value chain.

Ezeobi also appealed to the media to protect the Board against misinformation and help set the right agenda for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

“In recent weeks, we have seen sensational and outright false stories that have nothing to do with us. We ask you, as gatekeepers, to filter out inaccuracies and focus attention on how to grow Nigerian content from the current 56% to the targeted 70%,” he said.

He emphasized that the media should prioritize narratives that highlight job creation, compliance growth, and the economic impact of local content policies, instead of being used for distractions.

“Our engagement today is not just to explain our mandate but to ask you to help us set the right agenda—how to deepen local content, grow the energy industry, and strengthen compliance,” Ezeobi told participants.

Also speaking, Mr. Bufazi Tareowei, Deputy Manager, Capacity Building, urged young Nigerians to take advantage of the Board’s programs through the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS), the central portal for accessing training and opportunities.

He reiterated that NCDMB would continue to work with youths, media, and other stakeholders to ensure inclusiveness and long-term growth.

Also speaking, the Board’s Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, said the NCDMB has, since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in 2010, redefined ease of doing business in the petroleum sector, supporting indigenous companies to thrive and enforcing compliance among firms with foreign interests.

“Between 2010, when the Act was enacted, and now, fabrication, manpower services, and even partial integration of FPSOs (Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading platforms) have significantly increased in Nigeria,” Halilu said.

He disclosed that over 100 indigenous companies now boast exploration, production, and construction (EPC) capabilities, while about 15,000 Nigerians have been trained in critical skills such as welding, marine operations, and design engineering.

“The Board has lived up to expectations in its core mandate of developing local capacities and capabilities without compromising standards,” Halilu added.

He also revealed that the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, managed in partnership with NEXIM Bank, has deployed over $350 million to support local companies, while six Centres of Excellence have been established nationwide to provide industry-focused training in gas, engineering, and safety studies. (The Guardian)

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