Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has stated that it is committed to ensuring that Nigerians benefit as much as possible from all of its operations by going above and beyond simple compliance with Nigerian Content targets as set out in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) 2010 (the “Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act”).
The statement was made recently by Dr. Philip Mshelbila, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, while he was leading a delegation on a courtesy visit to Simbi Wabote, the Executive Secretary (ES) of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), at the regulator’s headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
According to Philip, in keeping with its corporate mission of becoming “a globally competitive LNG firm working to build a better Nigeria,” NLNG considers Nigerian Content to be a crucial component of its strategy.
He praised the NCDMB for the organization’s effective and long-standing partnership with the company, emphasizing the development of shared value. He used the special Service Level Agreement (SLA) between NLNG and the NCDMB as an illustration of how the Board supports business.
He also expressed gratitude to the Board for their support in ensuring the Train 7 project’s seamless start, which recently saw seven million safe man hours without a Lost-Time Injury incidence.
In the context of the global energy transition, Philip emphasized that the support of regulators like the NCDMB would be crucial in ensuring access to, availability of, and affordability of energy for domestic consumption. Philip stated that NLNG remained committed to 100% in-country supply of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) volumes.
He suggested creating the NLNG-NCDMB Technical Working Group, which would convene on a regular basis to discuss and resolve such operational and strategic problems.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB responded by congratulating NLNG for a seamless and effective leadership transition while upholding national pride in being managed by a senior management team made up entirely of Nigerians.
He gave the assurance that the regulator will continue to work with NLNG to fulfill its obligations related to Nigerian Content in its Train 7 Project, which would have a positive effect on the nation’s manufacturing capability and employment levels.
He urged the company to start making plans for Train 8 and supported the notion of a staff exchange program between the two organizations to have a deeper understanding of one another’s internal operations for greater collaboration and business effectiveness.
Wabote asserted that the Board would uphold the terms of its Business-to-Business Service Level Agreement (SLA), which was the first of its kind in the sector and had established a benchmark for reducing the length of the contracting process and enhancing compliance with the NOGICD Act.
He urged NLNG to join ongoing NCDMB initiatives to expand LPG distribution and storage in numerous zones of the nation.
The NLNG delegation included Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, the Deputy Managing Director of NLNG, Mr. Andy Odeh, the General Manager of External Relations and Sustainable Development, Mr. Terhemba Makeri, the General Manager of Human Resources, Mr. Abdul Umar, the Manager of Contracts and Procurement Management, Engr. Dagogo Buowari, and Mr. Charles Epelle, the Manager of Community Development.
