By Peace Udugba
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has commended the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for driving local content growth in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, revealing that China’s successful local participation model inspired the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010.
Jonathan spoke on Monday at the SweetCrude Dialogue 2026, held at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with the theme, “Through the Python’s Eye: 70 Years of Oil and Gas Production.”
The former President said signing the NOGICD Bill into law in April 2010 remains one of the most fulfilling decisions of his administration, noting that the legislation has transformed the Nigerian oil and gas sector by promoting indigenous participation and creating economic opportunities for Nigerians.
Jonathan recalled that the idea for the local content law was conceived after a visit to China during his tenure as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, where he observed that nearly every component used in China’s oil industry was produced locally.
According to him, China’s rapid growth into a global oil and gas powerhouse after the discovery of the Daqing Oilfield in 1959 prompted him to question why Nigeria, despite discovering oil in Oloibiri just three years earlier, remained heavily dependent on foreign expertise, equipment and technology.
He said the experience left him deeply concerned about the enormous economic losses resulting from Nigeria’s reliance on imported skills, machinery and production inputs.
Jonathan praised the NCDMB for sustaining the vision behind the Act and described the Board as a key business enabler that has delivered measurable benefits to both the nation and host communities.
He also commended the organisers of the SweetCrude Dialogue, De Mangrove Conversations, led by Mr. Biobele Da-Wariboko, for creating a platform to discuss the future of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The former President stressed the importance of continued dialogue on issues affecting host communities and the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), saying such conversations remain critical to the sector’s long-term sustainability.
Representing the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Board’s Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Barr. Esueme Dan Kikile, described the Dialogue as an opportunity to reflect on the industry’s history while charting a new course for Nigeria’s energy future.
He credited Jonathan for his decisive leadership in establishing the NOGICD Act and the NCDMB, noting that local content participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry has increased from less than five per cent in 2010 to 61 per cent in 2026.
According to him, the Board’s Human Capacity Development Initiative has ensured that major industry projects allocate resources to train Nigerian engineers, geologists, technicians and seafarers, while its “60-40” Graduate Training Model and technical certification programmes continue to produce industry-ready professionals.
Kikile also highlighted several landmark projects executed by the Board, including the 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower, the Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme in Bayelsa and Cross River states, gas processing infrastructure in Gbarain, the Polaku Gas Project, the Brass Shipyard, and the Nigeria LNG Fertiliser Project.
He added that the Board’s Back-to-the-Creek Initiative is bringing development, skills acquisition and economic opportunities directly to oil-producing communities across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the investments are transforming Bayelsa from merely being the birthplace of Nigeria’s oil industry into a centre for industrialisation, technology and value addition.
In a goodwill message, Bayelsa State Governor Senator Douye Diri, represented by Deputy Governor Dr. Peter Akpe, said there was no better location to commemorate 70 years of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry than Bayelsa, where commercial oil production began.
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by his Chief of Staff, Prince Johnson Erijo, urged industry stakeholders to renew their commitment to host communities and ensure that the benefits of oil exploration reach the grassroots.
Similarly, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Julius Oworibo, said the Dialogue provided an opportunity to assess the progress made in improving the welfare of oil-producing communities while identifying areas requiring greater attention.
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Ibibia Lucky Worika of the Centre for Advanced Law Research, Rivers State University, observed that oil has shaped Nigeria’s economy, politics and foreign relations for seven decades.
He, however, noted that the Niger Delta has borne the environmental and social consequences of oil exploration, insisting that environmental justice must remain a constitutional, moral and developmental priority.
Earlier, the convener of De Mangrove Conversations, Mr. Biobele Da-Wariboko, said the initiative was established to preserve the history and contributions of the Niger Delta to Nigeria’s development and ensure they are not forgotten.
Category: Energy | Oil & Gas | Local Content | Economy | Niger Delta
