The Nigerian Senate has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the local content agenda across the oil and gas industry, pledging robust legislative support to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) as it continues to implement policies aimed at deepening indigenous participation.
During a recent oversight visit to the NCDMB headquarters and project sites in Bayelsa State, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas, commended the Board’s proactive approach to implementing the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010.
He praised the Board’s strategic interventions, saying its policies have continued to create enabling environments for indigenous businesses, attract investment, and develop critical local skills. Senator Onowakpo described NCDMB’s efforts as a “model for sustainable development in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector,” while reiterating the Senate’s readiness to provide policy and legislative backing to further the Board’s objectives.
“The benefits of local content cannot be overemphasized,” the senator stated. “It leads to job creation, infrastructure growth, improved technical capacity, and reduces our overdependence on foreign goods and services.”
Senator Onowakpo also underscored that the renewed push for local content aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda to expand domestic capacity in key sectors and promote inclusive growth. The administration has identified local content development as a cornerstone for achieving a self-reliant economy, with the oil and gas sector serving as a catalyst for broader industrialisation.
He stressed that local content is not just an oil and gas issue but a national economic strategy with far-reaching benefits for Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), trade balance, and industrial resilience.
The Committee Chairman said the legislature will intensify engagement with stakeholders in the oil and gas sector, strengthen its oversight functions, and advocate for additional policies to improve access to funding for local service providers, enhance technology transfer, and increase employment of Nigerian professionals in energy projects.
Providing updates on behalf of the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Board’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Abdulmalik Halilu, gave a comprehensive briefing on the agency’s performance. He outlined several completed and ongoing projects, including modular refineries, capacity-building programmes, and investments in oil and gas research and development.
Halilu emphasized that the NCDMB is actively supporting indigenous operators, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), through initiatives such as the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCIF), which provides low-interest financing to local contractors.
“We are enabling Nigerian companies to participate meaningfully across the oil and gas value chain—from engineering to fabrication, installation, and maintenance,” Halilu said. “This visit by the Senate Committee further reinforces our drive and gives us confidence to scale up impact.”
Industry experts and policy analysts have welcomed the Senate’s reaffirmation of support, describing it as timely and essential for expanding Nigeria’s productive base. According to energy economist Dr. Ifeoma Uche, local content should evolve from being a compliance issue to a strategic economic tool, particularly in the face of dwindling oil revenues and global energy transition pressures.
“Nigeria must use local content to deepen value creation. That means more jobs at home, more factories, and more training for our young engineers. It’s about economic survival and growth,” Dr. Uche noted.
As Nigeria pushes for industrialisation and diversification beyond oil, the NCDMB’s approach, backed by legislative will, could play a transformative role in repositioning the country’s economy for sustainable development.