The Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has stated that over 80 per cent of the Nigerian content intervention fund has been disbursed to contributors of the fund.
Indeed, the Board stated that the contributors have benefitted from the fund and are yearning for more of the fund to support Nigerian businesses in the oil and gas sector.
The Executive Secretary, (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, at a facility tour to Falck Prime Atlantic training facility in Ipara, Ogun State, said the disbursement of the fund has been extremely successful.
He assured that the Board is on top of its game to ensure that unscrupulous contractors and oil companies do not take advantage of any loophole in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) act
“This is why we are here to ensure that when we get the culprits, we deal with them in accordance with the provisions of the Act. We do not claim that it is full-proof; that is why we are on top of our game in carrying out our operations.”
He lauded Falck Prime Atlantic, for maintaining the standards since the conceptualisation of the firm, saying that the Board would give its maximum support to ensure that the company reaps its investment.
“It is very impressive and as you can see a lot of investments has gone into this. It is a facility established 10 years ago and I am impressed the standards are still maintained and you can see the cleanliness of the facility which is meant to train people on all manner of safety and technical skills,” he said.
He said the company’s investment would save Nigeria’s hard-earned foreign exchange spent on acquiring international trainings needed to build capacities and technical capabilities in the oil and gas industry.
“It has got all the international certifications and affiliations. That is what we want, because we do not want substandard trainings and you are aware that oil and gas industry does not accept mediocrity or unqualified personnel to work on board. This shows that Nigeria is making tremendous improvement in terms of building capacity in the technical skill area. It will not only serve the oil and gas industry, but also the firefighting space and most firefighting workers they recruited have the requisite training obtainable abroad,” he said.
He added: “They have invested and believed in Nigeria and they should be commended. The next step is for us to give them the maximum support in order that they reap the benefits of their tremendous investment in Nigeria. There are couple of them around each with different levels of standards, but this facility is also leading the pack in terms of standards and I think we have come a long way in building human capacity in the oil and gas sector.”
Managing Director, Falck Prime Atlantic, Ayo Otuyalo said the visit was to showcase what the company has been doing for over 10 years, while also seeking certification from the Board.
“For us this visit was to showcase Nigerian content and the investment we have made in this facility in the last ten years,” he said.
He stated that the International Oil Companies (IOCs) have been supportive all the way, saying that is why the company is still in business.
On the incessant fire outbreaks in Lagos State, he said the company has created firefighting training awareness in the state, adding that Fire Service officials have undergone trainings on how to combat any kind of fire outbreak in the country.
“In the next five years, we see ourselves as the biggest fire training school in Africa where we can train fire men to international standards to combat any kind of fire such as gas fires and industrial fires in country. We are also here to showcase that we are way beyond our peers in the industry. Millions of dollars have been invested so far,” he added.
Source: The Guardian