The Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, in partnership with Sweetcrude Limited, says it is ready for the launch of the ‘Champions of Nigerian Content Awards’.

NCDMB said the award ceremony aims to recognise and celebrate individuals and companies that have made significant contributions to the development of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.

In a statement by its management, it was said that the award ceremony is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at the NCDMB’s world-class conference hall in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, from 6 pm.

It was stated that the event will be held on the sidelines of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair scheduled for May 20-22, 2025.

“Unlike other awards in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, the ‘Champions of Nigerian Content Awards’ will be determined by verifiable accomplishments, using defined metrics set by the Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate and other operational directorates and divisions of the NCDMB,” the statement read partly.

The awards categories include the Nigerian Content Icon of the Year; Nigerian Content Lifetime Achievement Award; Nigerian Content International Upstream Operator of the Year; Nigerian Content Indigenous Upstream Operator of the Year; Nigerian Content Midstream Operator of the Year; Nigerian Content Downstream Operator of the Year; Nigerian Content International Service Company of the Year; Nigerian Content Indigenous Service Company of the Year; Nigerian Content Innovator of the Year; Nigerian Content Financial Services Provider of the Year; Nigerian Content Media Organisation of the Year; and the Women in Leadership Award for Promoting Gender Equality and Empowerment.

The statement further read, “Awardees will enjoy commensurate benefits, including media exposure and prominent display at the headquarters of the NCDMB, among other benefits to be determined by the board.

“The awards are superintended by an advisory board headed by prominent and accomplished industry players, including the pioneer Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Dr Ernest Nwapa; the Secretary-General of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation, Dr Omar Farouk; the erstwhile Managing Director of Nigeria LNG Ltd, Mr Tony Attah; and the former Zonal Operations Controller, Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr Wole Akinyosoye.

“The role of the advisory board is to confirm the authenticity of the winners and to give further gravitas to the awards.”

Commenting on the awards, Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Mr Felix Ogbe, said, “The time has come to identify and celebrate pillars of Nigerian content who shall serve as shining examples of what is expected of others in the industry.”

Ogbe noted that the awards are being launched just when oil and gas industry players are gearing up to mark the 15th anniversary of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010.

The Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the NCDMB, Mr Abdulmalik Halilu, also remarked that the ‘Champions of Nigerian Content Awards’ will motivate and reward Nigerian content compliance among entities in the oil and gas industry.

Halilu said the board had mulled this event for a few years, and the launch signified NCDMB’s conviction that companies and individuals who extend themselves to develop Nigerian content and comply with extant regulations should be identified by the regulator and celebrated to serve as a beacon of motivation for other industry players.