The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has said that local investors would be encouraged in terms of capacity building to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.
The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Mr Simbi Wabote, gave the assurance on Thursday in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta during an official tour of Lee Engineering and Construction Company ”an indigenous outfit”.
The Lee Engineering Construction Company was one of the many local companies the NCDMB scribe had visited.
Wabote, who expressed joy at the level of growth in local content said the initiative which started some years ago had almost attained 98 per cent compliance.
He said he was impressed with the facilities at Lee Engineering and Construction Company, adding that indigenous companies had the capacity to compete with the foreign-owned companies.
“Gone are the days that jobs which can be done by Nigerians were taken outside the shores of the country.
“We will actively support Nigerian companies that have invested, developed capacity and continue to create employment for Nigerians.
“’Those jobs that could be done by Nigerians will no longer leave the shores of this country.
“When we started the journey of local content, it was at three per cent compliance, but today, 98 per cent of Nigerians have begun to manufacture their equipment by themselves,” he said.
Wabote said he was in Lagos last week to inspect the viability of some local company to prove critics wrong that local content does exist in Nigeria.
“The NCDMB will do everything possible to attract investment, because if there is no project, there is no local content.
“Those investments will come and we will continue to use Nigerian companies, Nigerian manpower and we will use Nigerian equipment when we begin to manufacture equipment for the oil and gas sector,” he said.
Responding, Dr Lee Ikpea, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lee Engineering and Construction Company, said the company started with a forty foot caravan in 1992.
“The company now has branches spread within and outside the country, with a staff strength of over three thousand.
“Our services include: sub-sea engineering, topside engineering, well solutions, project planning and management, engineering, procurement and constructions.
“We have embarked on major projects like the revamping of the Otorogun Gas Plant, one of Nigeria’s biggest gas plants, rehabilitation of oil and gas facilities at Odidi Node, Sapele plant, among others,” he added. (NAN)
