Senate Committee on Local Content has commended President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on ongoing efforts to deepen local participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Senators Joel Thomas and Ede Dafinone, the chairman and vice chairman of the committee, gave the commendation at the end of a two-day oversight visit to the NCDMB headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa.

In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, Mr Thomas said NCDMB had demonstrated the requisite capacity for actualisation of the objectives of the act setting it up.

He reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to growing local capacity in the oil and gas sector in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

In his remarks, Mr Dafinone said the committee was impressed by the physical infrastructure and the wide range of capacity-building programmes implemented for the benefit of Nigerians.

“This is the first oversight visit of the 10th Senate to the NCDMB; we had time with the executive secretary and his team to understand what they do and the results we’re seeing for Nigerians.

“I have to say we are impressed; the industrial park is nearly finished and already being occupied.

“But beyond the physical structures, the NCDMB’s work extends to training and human capacity development programmes that are crucial to the sector and to our national development,” he said.

He also noted that the board presented a self-assessment report indicating that 56 per cent of the workforce in the oil and gas sector is now made up of Nigerians, a significant milestone in local content development.

Mr Dafinone reiterated the need for equitable distribution of oil and gas benefits across regions.

He stressed that Delta Central, being part of the oil-producing Niger Delta, deserved robust infrastructure, skills training centres, and economic opportunities for its people.

The senator requested an update on the construction of the NCDMB Industrial Park site in Orogun.

During the visit, the committee met with NCDMB’s leadership and discussed local content development in the oil and gas industry.

Members of the committee also engaged in technical meetings to verify NCDMB’s compliance with the real intent of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.

They also toured key NCDMB projects, including the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPs), the NCDMB Gas Hub, the Conference Hotel building project, and the NCDMB Crèche.

(NAN)