A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Honourable Asita, says is now convinced that Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) is the leading oil and gas multinational company in the implementation of the Nigerian Content Development in the industry.

Hon Asita, who is the chairman, House Committee on Nigerian Content Development, gave the endorsement at the official opening of the two-day 2012 Nigerian Content Day, organized by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), in Port Harcourt last Tuesday.

Saying that with what he has heard from indigenous oil and gas companies and what they have exhibited at the Nigerian Content Fair, he was convinced beyond every reasonable doubt that Shell has made not just the indigenous companies and the people of the Niger Delta but also governments at all tiers proud with its policies and business principles.

Hon Asita, who represents Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency of Rivers State in the House of Representatives, challenged other multinational oil and gas companies, particularly those present at the two-day event to organise similar shows and invite the committee to listen to participants and witness their exhibitions directly inspired by the majors.

The member, who threatened to use his offices to invoke the scrapping of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over alleged practices that undermine the objectives of Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act, advised NAPIMS to redouble efforts at fast tracking approvals to applications for registration and tenders by indigenous companies in the industry through the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX).

Similarly, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), an umbrella body of indigenous oil and gas producing and servicing companies in Nigeria, has ranked Shell Exploration and Production Companies in Nigeria (SEPCiN) tops in the development of Nigerian content in the critical oil and gas industry.

Speaking at the Nigerian Content Day, President of the association, Engineer Emeka Ene, said that Shell was the first to initiate institutionalization of Nigerian content in the industry years before the conceptualization of the Federal Government’s Nigerian Content Policy, which culminated in the enactment of the Nigerian Content Act 2010.

He also invited foreign investors to take advantage of the robust operating environment and enabling legislation, especially the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Act, to partner with indigenous companies to raise the bar in service delivery in the industry.

In his remarks, Managing Director, SPDC, Mutiu Sunmonu, said “Shell-run companies in Nigeria have continued to deliver positive impact on the economy by supporting and developing local vendors and service providers” through a Nigerian content strategy that “promotes the use of locally manufactured goods and Nigerian service companies in production operations, projects and well engineering, in compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act”.

Sunmonu, who is also the country chair of Shell E & P Companies in Nigeria, catalogued a number of collaborative efforts between Shell and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) that have resulted in major investments in line pipes and personal protective equipment production, international certification of local clamp manufacturer, among other discoveries and partnerships that have re-invigorated hope in local companies in the industry.

While commending participants for taking advantage of the opportunity to leverage the expertise, cutting-edge technologies and innovative products offered by the exhibition, Sunmonu hoped that the fair would “provide another viable and effective platform for interaction between local vendors, suppliers, contractors, Shell project engineers, and other key industry stakeholders, in order to create awareness of oil and gas materials, equipment, goods and services obtainable within Nigeria.”

Nelson Chukwudi