The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has said it is finalising a new procurement framework known as the Nigeria First Procurement Policy, aimed at prioritising local content participation in the oil and gas value chain and ensuring energy sufficiency.
This effort, which aims to deepen the Federal Government’s First Policy and was announced by the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, during the 24th Nigerian Oil and Gas Energy Week on Monday in Abuja, is designed to deepen indigenous participation across the industry and advance the nation’s energy sufficiency goals.
According to him, the policy mandates that all goods and services produced or readily available within Nigeria will not be sourced from foreign suppliers unless there is clear evidence of insufficient local capacity.
Ogbe also revealed plans to commission a comprehensive baseline study to verify the current capacity of indigenous service providers and manufacturers supplying goods to the oil and gas value chain.
Speaking in his keynote address, the executive secretary said the policy is a deliberate move to entrench local capacity utilisation and reduce the dependence on foreign inputs in Nigeria’s energy sector.
He said that at the heart of this administration’s agenda is a deliberate and strategic push to reclaim our economic independence by harnessing our local capacity.
The theme of the conference is “Achieving Energy Sufficiency through Local Content Implementation.’’
He said, “This year’s theme for the Nigerian Content Seminar is ‘Achieving Energy Sufficiency through Local Content”. This theme is both timely and relevant to the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector. This is so as we strive to attract more investments into the Nigerian oil and gas industry towards achieving energy sufficiency and security.
“For Nigeria, energy sufficiency goes beyond its availability; it extends towards the key elements of resilience, sovereignty, and sustainability, all of which are anchored in strong domestic capabilities. In this regard,” local content is not just a policy, it is a strategic imperative” that creates an enabling environment for investment.
“A nation that aspires to be energy-sufficient must build its energy from within; hence, we must deepen our local capacities across the oil and gas value chain, from exploration and production to processing and delivery to end users.
“By doing so, we will not only retain economic value within our borders but also mitigate supply disruptions, create jobs, and build technological resilience, further contributing to our energy sufficiency.”
He further stated that the government has taken some bold steps to deepen Nigerian content across the nation to ensure energy sufficiency.
Starting with the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010, which has been operational for the past 15 years now.
Several Executive Orders, such as Executive Order 001, Ease of Doing Business, and Executive Order 005, Giving Preferences to Nigerian companies and firms for procurement contract awards, have been issued.
He added, “The most recent policy aimed at deepening local content is the ‘Nigeria First Policy”. At the heart of this administration’s agenda is a deliberate and strategic push to reclaim our economic independence by harnessing our local capacity.
“The Nigeria First Policy represents this vision. It is rooted in a simple but powerful principle that. All goods or services that are produced and/or available locally will not be procured from foreign sources unless there is a clear and justifiable reason.
“To ensure this policy translates from paper to tangible progress, the Board is already taking some steps. First, we are developing a Nigeria First Procurement policy for the Board.
“The board is incorporating the Nigeria First policy into our internal processes and systems. The policy will be considered for reviewing and approving Nigeria Content Plans, Nigeria Content Compliance Certifications, and so on.”
The board will also commission a baseline study to ascertain and verify the available capacity of Nigerian service providers.
He explained that the study would not only document the goods in use but also identify Nigerian companies producing them and confirm their capacity to meet industry standards.
“Similarly, we will also commission a Baseline Study of the consumables and other goods that are used in the oil and gas industry. The study will also identify Nigerian companies that produce these goods and confirm their capacities”, he continued.
Ogbe said the policy draws its strength from Section 3(1) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, which mandates that first consideration be given to Nigerian goods and services in all oil and gas industry projects.
He added that the Board had already begun aligning internal systems with the policy and would apply it during reviews of Nigerian Content Plans, Compliance Certifications, and related approvals.
Beyond procurement, Ogbe also highlighted the Board’s Back-To-The-Creek Programme, which targets the development of educational infrastructure and vocational skills in oil-producing communities.
He explained that the programme, which aligns with Tinubu’s Eight-Point Agenda, focuses on upgrading primary and secondary schools, paying stipends to teachers, digitising school syllabuses, and offering scholarships to talented students.
“The initiative is a long-term investment in the human capital of the creeks, designed to create a sustainable workforce for Nigerian industries,” Ogbe said.
Also speaking during a panel session, NCDMB’s Director of Corporate Services, Abdul Malik Halilu, said the Board was working to improve ease of doing business in line with federal directives.
“What we have done in NCDMB is to say, okay, how do we support the industry to ensure that they can get their approvals on time? It is only when you get approvals to increase production that you will be able to talk about energy security in the context of revenue support for governments. So we have already aligned our processes with the presidential directive on ease of doing business, and also ensuring that our service level agreements are fully complied with.
“We are also working towards ensuring that we continuously automate our processes. And then the human interface that is associated with some delays is also being controlled. So to that extent, we have a very strong project certification framework that enables us to ensure that there’s acceleration for the approvals.”
On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of MiCCom Cables and Wires, Bukola Adubi, commended the NCDMB for fostering indigenous participation in the sector.
Adubi, who also serves as the President of the Cable Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, said the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act has been instrumental in creating opportunities for indigenous companies.
“The NOGIC Act is why we are all here today. It brought everyone together and gave local players a real chance to participate and add value in the industry,” she said.
She, however, expressed concerns over the interpretation of recent policy directives, which she said had sparked uncertainty among investors.
“There are concerns about some of the recent directives; people are beginning to wonder if we are regressing. Local companies have made huge investments to improve capacity, but now there’s talk about the process becoming too expensive or stifling investment,” she said.
She, however, welcomed the clarification from the NCDMB that the new directive was intended to streamline approvals and make the process more cost-effective.
“I won’t deny it, the local content initiative has truly helped. It’s been a game-changer. The NCDMB has supported the industry, and we are investing because we see real market opportunities. We can’t allow the progress we’ve made to be reversed.”
PUNCH Online reports that NOG week provides a trusted platform where industry leaders come together to have honest conversations and collaborate on solutions to move the sector forward. The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, with expectations high for a keynote address by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari.
