How NCDMB Under Engr. Felix Ogbe is Reinforcing Nigeria’s Local Content Drive
James Okonkwo
At a time when global energy markets are shifting and Nigeria faces mounting pressure to cut costs and attract investment, one agency has quietly become the anchor of local participation in oil and gas, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) under Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe.
Rather than weakening Nigeria’s local content regime, the three Executive Orders issued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in March 2024 have become instruments of reform, thanks to NCDMB’s decisive leadership. Under Ogbe, the Board has strengthened compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, modernised processes, and accelerated project approvals that once dragged through layers of bureaucracy.
Ogbe’s NCDMB has prioritised speed, transparency, and efficiency, cutting contract approval stages by nearly half and insisting that local firms and existing capacities must be engaged in all oil and gas projects.
To deepen participation, the Board has rolled out several funding schemes, including the ₦50 billion Community Contractors Fund and the $20 million Women in Oil and Gas Fund, providing affordable credit to local and female entrepreneurs in the sector.
On the infrastructure front, major projects like the Oil and Gas Parks in Bayelsa and Cross River and the Brass Island Shipyard are nearing completion, laying the groundwork for indigenous fabrication, equipment assembly, and vessel repair.
The Board has also turned its focus to human capital development, training thousands of young Nigerians in subsea engineering, underwater welding, and digital technologies such as AI and drone applications.
Six new Centres of Excellence have been established in universities to link research with industry demand.
As a result, Nigeria now retains 57% of the value of its oil and gas projects, up from less than 10% a decade ago.
Indigenous companies are executing contracts once dominated by foreign firms, while thousands of skilled Nigerians are gaining meaningful employment.
Still, Ogbe acknowledges the challenges, from financing gaps to the need for policy consistency and readiness for the global shift toward renewables.
But under his leadership, the message is clear: local content is no longer just policy, it is Nigeria’s pathway to industrial sovereignty.
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