Connect with us

News

NCDMB hammers on local content in oil, gas industry *Hails NLNG’s on Train 7 Project

Published

on

Ogbe, Osobu, others, at the facility, on Friday

Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), for the umpteenth time, on Friday, spoke of the strategic importance of increased local content delivery to the nation’s productive capacities, particularly in the oil industry, expressing delight that the Federal Government’s initiative to drive the concept.

It was on a day, he visited the NLNG six-train plant, Train 7 Project construction site, and the NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NSML) training centre, Maritime Centre for Excellence (MCOE) in Finima, Bonny Island, Rivers State, and was conducted round by the officials of the project, a major A-list intiatives of Nigeria.

Highly elated at what he met on ground, the NCDMB, who commended the significant Nigerian Content strides achieved in the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) Train 7 Project, emphasised the need for increased collaboration and advocacy for Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry.

Received by Olakunle Osobu, Deputy Managing Director; Nnamdi Anowi, General Manager of Production; Ali Uwais, Train 7 Project Director; Abdulkadir Ahmed, NSML Managing Director/CEO; and other senior management officials of the company, Ogbe, while highlighting how the Train 7 Project has significantly boosted local capacity through the production of ancillary components and accessories within Nigeria, contributing directly to the project’s successful execution, particularly commended the recent Presidential Directives on Local Content implementation, which mandated that contracts in the oil and gas sector be awarded exclusively to local companies with proven in-country capabilities, as instrumental to these achievements.

Advertisement

“The accomplishments we are witnessing today at the NLNG Train 7 Project are a testament to the NLNG’s unwavering commitment to Nigerian Content. This project stands as a beacon of what we can achieve when we prioritise our local industries and talents,” he said, while lauding the NLNG’s management for achieving 52 million man-hours on the Train 7 project with zero lost time injury (LTI) promising, “we will support you to achieve everything you desire to accomplish for the overall development of Nigeria.”

The NCDMB boss, who also commended Simbi Kesiye Wabote, his immediate predecessor, for his immense contributions to the approval, take-off and success of the Train 7 project, expressed delight that it is the first training centre in Africa to receive accreditation from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (UK MCA) to deliver and issue certificates for the STCW 2010 Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) and Basic Liquefied Gas Tanker Cargo Operations courses.

The MCOE, which is a maritime training and research facility, aims to enhance maritime expertise in Nigeria and the West African region, currently hosts a specialised training programme for marine services providers in the upstream oil and gas sector, with the support of NCDMB.

Olakunle Osobu, NLNG’s Deputy Managing Director, who represented Philip Mshelbila, NLNG’s MD/CEO, lauded the NCDMB’s unwavering support for the Train 7 Project, describing the partnership as a shining example of the public-private collaboration capable of driving Nigeria’s industrial growth.

He emphasised that NLNG’s Nigerian Content deliverables showcase the power of strategic collaboration and capacity building, aligning with the NCDMB’s broader objectives and contributing to national development goals, adding that Nigerian Content was not just a regulatory requirement for NLNG but a core business strategy.

Advertisement

“We are committed to going beyond compliance, embracing Nigerian Content as a fundamental part of our vision of helping to build a better Nigeria,” he added, stressing that the economic impact of the Train 7 Project, by expanding Nigeria’s LNG production capacity from 22 Metric Tons (MT) to 30MT per annum, which would not only boost the nation’s economy by creating jobs and driving sustainable development but also reinforce Nigeria’s position as a formidable player in the global energy market.

Ogbe’s visit comes on the heels of a recent tour of BEAMCO Limited, where pumps and valves are locally assembled for the Train 7 Project, and the commissioning of the Daewoo Galvanising Plant at Abam-ama, Okrika, Rivers State.

Share this story:

News

BREAKING: Death penalty for fake drugs! *NAFDAC to push new law at NASS

Published

on

Those peddling fake and substandard drugs in Nigeria should be ready for the hangman’s noose, if the thinking of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), becomes the new law.

Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General of the body, who said on Friday that no other form of punishment is fitting enough, gave instances of where the application of such dangerous substances in form of health drugs, had led to fatalities.

Advocating that only stiff penalties would deter peddlers especially when deaths of children became involved, the NAFDAC boss, who appeared as a guest on The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, said: “Somebody bought children’s medicine for N13,000 or something like that, another person was selling about N3,000 in the same mall. 

“That raised an alarm. Guess what? There was nothing inside that medicine when we tested it in our Kaduna lab. So, I want the death penalty. Because you don’t need to put a gun on the head of a child before you kill that child. Just give that child bad medicine.”

Advertisement

Advocating that the National Assembly and the judiciary to make the proposal a reality, adding that the agency was open to partnering with lawmakers and other stakeholders on the matter, she added: “You cannot fight substandard, falsified medicine in isolation. The agency can do as much as it can but if there is no deterrent, there’s going to be a problem.

“Somebody brought in 225mg of Tramadol that can kill anybody, fry the brain and you give a judgment of five years in prison or N250,000. Who doesn’t know that that person will go to the ATM and get N250,000? That is part of our problem.

“There are no strict measures to deter [people] from repeating the same thing. We can do as much as we can but if our law is not strong enough, or the judiciary is not strong enough to stand up, we’re going to have a problem.

“So, our judiciary system must be strong enough. But we are working with the National Assembly to make our penalties very stiff.  But if you kill a child by bad medicine, you deserve to die. We have a lot on our plate in stemming drug peddling.

“Withe about 2,000 staff members nationwide and limited funding, NAFDAC is constrained in carrying out its activities. So, when it comes to staffing, you’re right on the point. We are short-staffed and I am hoping things will be better.”

Advertisement

Share this story:
Continue Reading

News

Give us electoral offences tribunal to take care of heist – INEC  

Published

on

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday, made a fresh push for the creation of an electoral offences tribunal, to curb the cases of attacks on the Nigerian democratic system.

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman, told reporters at the commission’s first regular quarterly consultative meeting with the media that the tribunal had become important owing to the backlog of electoral offence cases.

He said: “A major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice in this regard is that electoral offences are not time-bound as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals. Furthermore, they are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences are committed,” the INEC chief told the gathering.

“No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases. Consequently, electoral offences are carried over from one General Election to another which may sometimes affect the diligent prosecution of the cases. It is therefore imperative to renew our call for the creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal that have a specific jurisdiction and limited timeframe for the speedy dispensation of cases.”

Advertisement

Bemoaning the delay in the justice delivery system, citing the conviction of a returning officer in Akwa Ibom after six years in court, the INEC boss, said: “The recent successful prosecution of a Returning Officer in Akwa Ibom State is a case in point.

“The Commission has been diligently pursuing the case which arose from the 2019 General Election. In this particular case, it took nearly six years to achieve the successful prosecution at the trial court.

“Through our collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) cases involving 774 alleged offenders from the 2023 General Election are being prosecuted. So far, successful prosecutions have been recorded in Kebbi and Kogi States while our collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on vote-buying has yielded similar results in Lagos, Kwara, and Gombe States. Yet, many cases are still pending.”

Advertisement
Share this story:
Continue Reading

News

Again, terrorists attack Sokoto, kidnap 10 worshippers at a mosque

Published

on

A mosque in Bushe community, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, fell into the hands of bandits on Friday, after which 10 worshippers including the Imam were spirited away, adding to growing cases of terrorist attacks.

Channels Television reports that the gunmen invaded the mosque on Thursday while worshippers were performing their early morning Subhi prayer, quoting residents as saying that the gunmen had been molesting the people of the community for some time now, even with the presence of security agents.

Ahmed Rufai, spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, who confirmed the attack on Friday, said the police authorities were working with other security agencies to rescue the abducted victims.

A member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, representing the Sabon Birni B state Constituency who also confirmed the attack, commended the security agencies for their timely intervention.

Advertisement

Share this story:
Continue Reading

Trending