Jonathan says China inspired Nigeria’s local content drive, hails NCDMB for transforming oil sector – EnviroNews

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Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has praised the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for its far‑reaching achievements since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in 2010, describing the progress as deeply fulfilling.

Speaking at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT) in Yenagoa during the SweetCrude Dialogue 2026, themed “Through the Python’s Eye: 70 Years of Oil and Gas Production,” Jonathan recalled the enthusiasm with which he signed the NOGICD Bill into law. He said the inspiration for a strong local content policy came from a trade mission to China during his tenure as Bayelsa State’s Deputy Governor.

According to him, witnessing China’s near‑total reliance on locally sourced equipment and expertise in its oil sector – especially after the discovery of crude at the Daqing Oilfield in 1959 – left him questioning Nigeria’s heavy dependence on foreign technology despite its earlier oil discovery in Oloibiri in 1956. He returned home determined to reverse the economic losses caused by decades of outsourcing critical oil and gas operations.

Jonathan commended NCDMB for evolving into a major business enabler and applauded the organisers of the Dialogue, De Mangrove Conversations, led by Biobele Da‑Wariboko, for creating a platform that brings diverse voices together to examine the industry’s trajectory. He stressed that community concerns and what he termed “state dilemma” must remain central even as the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) continues to reshape the sector.

Representing NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Barr. Esueme Dan Kikile highlighted that the Dialogue’s theme offers a strategic vantage point to assess Nigeria’s oil and gas journey. He credited Jonathan for the decisive leadership that birthed the NOGICD Act and the Board itself. Kikile revealed that local content participation has risen to 61 percent in 2026 – up from less than five percent in 2010 – thanks to strict enforcement of human capacity development guidelines and initiatives such as the “60‑40” Graduate Training Model.

He listed major NCDMB projects, including the 17‑storey Nigerian Content Tower, the Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS) in Bayelsa and Cross River, gas processing infrastructure at Gbarain, the Polaku Gas Project footprint, the Brass Shipyard, and alignment with the NLNG Fertiliser Project. He also highlighted the Back‑to‑the‑Creek Initiative, designed to bring development directly to oil‑bearing communities.

Kikile noted that these investments are transforming Bayelsa from a historic extraction zone into a hub of industrial, technological, and commercial activity.

Bayelsa State Governor Douyi Diri, represented by Deputy Governor Peter Akpe, said the state was the most fitting venue for a 70‑year review of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. He praised De Mangrove Conversations as a collective of distinguished Niger Delta intellectuals committed to preserving regional history.

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by Chief of Staff Prince Johnson Erijo, urged stakeholders to meet public expectations and renew commitments to host communities. Similarly, NDDC Managing Director Samuel Ogbuku, represented by Julius Oworibo, said the Dialogue should remind Nigerians of the region’s past, present, and future in the oil and gas value chain.

Delivering the keynote address, Professor Ibibia Lucky Worika of Rivers State University observed that oil has shaped Nigeria’s economy, politics, foreign relations, and development for seven decades—while also fuelling conflict and innovation. He emphasized that the Niger Delta has borne the brunt of environmental degradation, insisting that environmental justice is a constitutional and moral imperative.

Earlier, convener Biobele Da‑Wariboko said De Mangrove Conversations was established to ensure the Niger Delta’s contributions to national development are not erased by the country’s turbulent political currents.