Niger Delta

Local Content: Five Firms Get OEM Certification

Published

14 years ago

July 2, 2012

A major milestone in the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Law 2010 was achieved last Monday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital when five multinational companies were granted the first-ever permission to manufacture in-country, original equipment for the oil and gas industry.

The five companies are Endress-Hausser, ABB, Siemens, New Way, and Bonney Forge; all world-class original equipment manufacturers (OEM), who have indicated readiness to roll out by 2014, critical equipment hitherto imported into the country for use by the oil and gas industry players.

Signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to herald the commencement of the process designed to domicile the manufacturing facilities of the companies in Nigeria, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr Ernest Nwapa, said the quantum leap would fast track the availability, accessibility and affordability of critical equipment required in the industry, create employment opportunities for thousands of Nigerians and boost wealth creation across the value chain.

Nwapa said that the initiative, facilitated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), would avail operators in the industry opportunity to procure original equipment hitherto imported into the country, directly from the manufacturers within Nigeria, thereby saving huge foreign exchange, procurement time, among others.

He said that with the building of original equipment manufacturing plants in Nigeria, the companies’ would have strong manufacturing footprint in-country, thus enhancing the prospects of achieving 70 per cent local content in the industry in line with the law.

Nwapa noted that when completed in 2014, the plants would manufacture equipment for both local consumption and export, and commended participating companies for blazing the trail in local content development, promising to recommend them to the minister of petroleum for special windows to enjoy prescribed privileges in the industry.

Speaking, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Local Content, Hon Asita Honourable, expressed the conviction that Shell was actually leading the way in local content development in the industry, and stressed the determination of the National Assembly to provide the enabling climate for the development of local content that would deepen Nigerians’ participation in the industry.

He said that the National Assembly was impressed with the level of compliance with the Nigerian Content Law 2010 by some of the major companies, and stated that members were ready, more than ever before, to strengthen the legislative framework to make greater number of Nigerians benefit from the industry.

In his remarks, General Manager, Nigerian Content Development, SPDC, Mr Igo Weli, said the company was delighted to be pioneering the certification of original equipment manufacturers to establish plants in-country, and added that with the development, more Nigerians would be gainfully employed, huge foreign exchange saved for re-investment into other areas of need while facilitating improved revenue generation and wealth creation.

Weli, who represented the Managing Director, SPDC, Mutiu Sunmonu, said that the strategy was in keeping with the company’s desire to deepen its impact on the people within its areas of operation, and promised to encourage more indigenous oil and gas companies to partner more internationally-recognised genuine equipment manufacturers to invest in Nigeria.

President, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Engr Emeka Ene, praised Shell for the initiative to facilitate the partnership between indigenous and foreign oil and gas equipment manufacturing companies, and charged other multinational firms to emulate the policy.

Niger Delta

NDDC Clears Compensation Hurdle, Accelerates 3.7Km Okrika-Borikiri Bridge Project

Published

5 hours ago

June 12, 2026

The Tide

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has said construction work on the 3.75-kilometre Okrika-Borikiri Road and bridge project in Rivers State will gather momentum following the payment of compensation to affected property owners at the Borikiri axis of the project.

Speaking during an inspection of the project site in Okrika, the NDDC Assistant Director, Utilities, Infrastructure Development and Waterways (UIDW), Martins Isichei, disclosed that compensation issues that had stalled progress on the Borikiri alignment had been resolved.

According to him, the Commission has settled compensation claims for property owners affected by the project corridor and is awaiting the evacuation of residents before commencing demolition of structures within the right of way.

“The NDDC has paid compensation to property owners along the Borikiri alignment, and we are expecting the evacuation of residents there before we commence demolition of structures in the right of way”, he said.

Isichei noted that work on the Okrika section of the project had recorded significant progress despite challenges encountered on the waterways.

He explained that shortly after work resumed, a vessel collided with an existing pile, forcing engineers to redesign part of the bridge structure.

“When we resumed work on the site, a vessel collided with an existing pile. We had to re-profile the bridge and develop a new design to circumvent the damaged pile”, he said.

The NDDC official expressed optimism that the project would ease traffic congestion along the refinery road corridor and significantly reduce travel time between Okrika and Port Harcourt upon completion.

He explained that the project comprises three major bridge structures: the 180-metre Kolabi Bridge at Etche Waterfront, the 1,120-metre Abotoru Bridge, and the 490-metre Okpoka Bridge.

While acknowledging that progress on the Borikiri alignment had lagged because of compensation-related issues, Isichei said construction activities would commence there shortly.

Also speaking, the Project Consultant, Azu Chukwuma, said the scope of the project was reviewed following its revival to align with present realities and engineering requirements.

He noted that efforts were underway to accelerate construction, particularly the launching of bridge beams, despite the high cost of marine logistics associated with the project.

“Our intention is to determine how quickly we can proceed with launching the first sets of beams. The work is mainly on the river, and much of the marine logistics involved is costly. I am in touch with the appropriate officials of the NDDC to determine the best way forward”, Chukwuma stated.

He commended host communities for their cooperation, noting that the absence of major disputes had contributed to the project’s steady progress.

A representative of the construction company, Maroun Kassouf, said fabrication of bridge beams had advanced considerably and that installation would begin soon.

“The project is progressing well. Once people evacuate at the Borikiri end, we will demolish the structures there and move to that site immediately. That end would be much easier, as the river is shallower than the Okrika end”, he said.

The Vice Chairman of the Okrika Community Development Committee, Minengibi Ferdinand, lauded the NDDC for undertaking the project, describing it as a critical infrastructure that would improve connectivity and stimulate economic growth.

He said the road and bridge network would provide an alternative route to Okrika, ease pressure on the East-West Road and open up communities for greater socio-economic development.

“This is a laudable project that will ease traffic on the East-West Road and provide an alternate route to Okrika. We are hopeful that once it is completed, it will attract socio-economic development to our community”, Ferdinand said.

Niger Delta

N’Delta Voices Demand Climate Justice, Environmental Accountability At WED Conference

Published

5 hours ago

June 12, 2026

The Tide

Stakeholders from across the Niger Delta region of Nigeria have renewed calls for environmental justice, climate accountability and a transition from decades of oil dependence.

This followed the convening by LincGreen Climate Change Initiative of its third annual “Look Beyond Oil” conference to mark World Environment Day 2026 in Port Harcourt.

The conference, held at Autograph Event Place along Abacha Road, GRA, Port Harcourt, drew a diverse audience of traditional rulers, environmental activists, students, researchers, community leaders and young advocates who gathered to examine the ecological realities confronting the Niger Delta and chart pathways towards a sustainable future.

Uniquely designed in the format of the traditional Niger Delta “Tales by Moonlight”, the event recreated the age-old practice of gathering after dark to share stories that preserve histories, convey warnings and reveal truths.

Organisers said the approach was intended to create a space for honest conversations about the environmental challenges facing the region.

In his opening address, Executive Director of LincGreen Climate Change Initiative, Tobechukwu Diolu, said the organisation was born out of the devastating floods that ravaged communities across Rivers State in 2022, exposing the fragile environmental condition of the Niger Delta after decades of oil-related degradation.

According to him, LincGreen’s engagements across the region have revealed the scale of the environmental crisis confronting local communities.

“LincGreen has visited 75 communities across the Niger Delta between 2024 and 2025. We have witnessed the multidimensional impacts of climate change, including the loss of homes, massive displacement of people and widespread environmental damage”, he said.

Speaking on behalf of affected oil-producing communities, the Paramount Ruler of Ogale Kingdom in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, HRH King Godwin Bebe Okpabi, lamented the environmental consequences of decades of oil extraction.

He disclosed that Ogale Community alone hosts about 20 oil wells but has received little environmental remediation despite years of exploitation.

“The oil was taken, but the land was not restored”, he said, while also criticising what he described as a deliberate divide-and-rule strategy that has weakened the collective bargaining power of Niger Delta communities.

Veteran environmental and community rights activist, Elder Celestine Akpobari, challenged young people to become more strategic in their advocacy efforts.

“If you want to destroy a man, destroy the environment”, he said, urging participants to transform information gathered through activism into practical campaigns capable of driving genuine change rather than merely documenting the region’s suffering.

Also speaking, Dr. Isaac Osuoka, Director of Social Action International, described oil exploitation in the Niger Delta as a system of extraction that has impoverished communities while enriching others.

“For us, oil represents colonisation, plunder and robbery of our people and land. It is the responsibility of the youth to recognise the need for change and to work for change”, he said.

Representing Rooted Rising Initiative, Chidera Onwuzurike stressed that climate change is no longer an abstract concept but a lived reality affecting communities daily.

She noted that her organisation focuses on the media dimensions of climate advocacy and is committed to ensuring that stories from the Niger Delta are told authentically and by those directly affected by environmental challenges.

On the role of technology, Executive Coordinator of MAJI, Onyekachi Emmanuel, highlighted the importance of data in environmental protection and climate advocacy.

He urged young people to embrace technological tools that can enhance public awareness, strengthen evidence-based campaigns and improve environmental accountability.

Similarly, investigative journalist, Dappa Prinye Peter, encouraged emerging advocates to develop precision in their communication efforts by focusing on clearly defined issues and building consistent platforms capable of sustaining public engagement.

Contributing to discussions on youth participation and nation-building, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Obari Gomba, advised young Nigerians against abandoning the country in search of opportunities abroad.

He urged them instead to remain and contribute meaningfully to national development.

A Research Fellow at the Institute of Geosciences and Environmental Management, Rivers State University, Dr. Ibinabo Ogolo, called on academics from the region to take a more active role in documenting the environmental crisis and holding institutions accountable.

“For more than 60 years, Niger Delta land, water and air have suffered oil pollution, gas flaring and climate impacts. As scholars from this region, we carry a unique responsibility. We possess the data, lived experience and intellectual tools to rigorously expose this crisis. We have not done enough”, she said.

Ogolo further challenged researchers to critically evaluate interventions by agencies such as the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), while generating evidence capable of influencing policy and strengthening accountability.

“The Niger Delta is ground zero for climate justice. If we do not document and analyse our story, others will write it for us or ignore it entirely”, she added.

Also speaking, Prof. Malisi Onyeka Festus of the University of Port Harcourt encouraged young people to sustain their involvement in environmental advocacy through continuous learning, motivation, skill acquisition and community engagement.

Participants at the conference agreed that while climate change remains a global challenge, the Niger Delta occupies a unique position where environmental degradation, oil pollution and climate vulnerability intersect.

They called for stronger grassroots mobilisation, increased investment in climate education and greater accountability from governments, regulatory agencies and oil companies operating in the region.

At the end of he event, a common message resonated across generations: the future of the Niger Delta depends not only on looking beyond oil, but on empowering communities to shape a more just and sustainable environmental future.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom, C’River Deploy Preventive Measures Against Flood, Erosion

Published

5 hours ago

June 12, 2026

The Tide

Akwa Ibom and Cross River States stakeholders have said that intensive preventive measures are in place to contain flooding, save lives and property, and also prevent further worsening of erosion areas in both states.

The stakeholders disclosed this while responding to The Tide’s sources’s survey on actions by erosion-prone states to mitigate floods.

They said plans were underway to evacuate people living in the worst flood-prone areas, while efforts were also being made to reclaim lands devastated by erosion.

However, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Rivers State called for the establishment of State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) backed by law to strengthen disaster preparedness and response.

In Akwa Ibom State, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said the state government was taking several steps to check flooding and protect the ecological environment.

He said the government had already taken measures to mitigate erosion across the 31 local government areas by investing billions of naira in intervention projects.

Umanah said the government had reclaimed the erosion site on Atiku Abubakar Avenue and recently ordered the desilting of drains on the road to contain the predicted incoming flood.

He recalled that one of the first projects inaugurated by former President Goodluck Jonathan in the state was the 1.48km underground drainage line on Atiku Abubakar Avenue.

Umanah added that the government had also constructed erosion-control drainage lines off the Two Lanes that channelled water away from Oron Road.

He explained that the drainage line was connected to underground lines running towards the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.

He said the Governor also directed the construction of the adjoining Afaha Ube Street and side drains to link Ikot Ekpene Road with immediate effect in order to control flooding in the area.

The Commissioner added that work was ongoing along Uyo Village Road to reclaim about 4.3km of gully erosion that had almost destroyed several parts of the city, including the Government House.

“If you go to the perimeters of the Government House, you will see the totality of that area being remediated”, Umanah said.

He said the government had almost solved the devastating gully erosion that occurred on a previously abandoned refuse dump site along Uyo Village Road, reclaiming the area for a middle-class housing estate and recreational centres.

He said as part of its ecological remediation efforts, the government reclaimed 73 hectares of gully erosion spread around Etim Usanga, Udo Umana, and Usanga streets, off Brook Street.

Umanah said the government had invested billions of naira in the Ibom Arise Park Project, deploying massive reclamation efforts to arrest severe land degradation and turning a threatening ecological disaster site into an eco-friendly tourist and resort destination.

“There has been so much investment made by this administration in erosion control in the state.

“As you know, Uyo is on flat land and is very prone to erosion and other water-related challenges.

”Since the coming of the administration of Governor Umo Eno, erosion control and ecological remediation have been among the main actions of the government to save Uyo from collapse”, he stated.

Umanah said the Governor had directed the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), Mr. Akpan Ikim, to ensure adequate desilting of side drains across the metropolis.

The Commissioner said residents living in low-lying coastal areas had also been directed to relocate to upland areas to avoid impending danger.

He said the government had warned against indiscriminate waste dumping that blocks drainage channels and against building on waterways, adding that structures on waterways would be demolished.

He said a committee, comprising the commissioners for Environment and Water Resources, Health, Agriculture, Internal Security, Lands, and AKSEPWMA, had been set up to interface with federal agencies in proposing mitigation actions against flooding.

The AKSEPWMA Chairman, Ikim, said the main approach to flooding was heavy infrastructure for long-term control, routine desilting, and community cleanup for immediate risk reduction.

In Cross River, the government said plans were underway to tackle major erosion and flood-prone areas ahead of intensified rainfall forecast by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

Mr. Obeten Otu, Acting Project Coordinator of the Nigeria Climate Adaptation, Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP-EIB), said the erosion project was previously funded by the World Bank.

He said the project is now being financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), following the World Bank’s exit on 30 June 2022.

He explained that current intervention efforts in Cross River focused on severe and catastrophic gully erosion sites across the state to prevent further environmental degradation.

“NEWMAP-EIB has deployed Gully Rapid Action Slope Stabilisation (GRASS) measures to minimise erosion impacts pending permanent remediation works”, he said.

The State Governor, Bassey Otu, had approved the commencement of engineering designs for six gully erosion/flood control sites that required revalidation, and 10 new engineering designs for the state’s most severe erosion sites.

“Cross River has more than 75 gully erosion sites, making it impossible to address all affected locations simultaneously.

”The International Conference Centre axis in Summit Hills, Calabar, is one of the most critical erosion locations earmarked for intervention”, he said.

Otu added that NEWMAP-EIB always collaborated with NiMet and the Cross River Basin Authority to monitor flood and erosion risks and strengthen early response measures statewide.

The Executive Secretary of the Calabar Urban Development Agency (CUDA), Dr. Effiong Ayi, said the government had adopted science-based and community-focused measures to mitigate flooding and protect lives and property.

He listed ongoing interventions as dredging of waterways, widening canals, clearing drainages, and demolishing structures obstructing flood channels.

“We are not leaving anything to chance; our goal is to prevent avoidable loss of lives and property through early and coordinated action.

”Sensitisation campaigns are ongoing in flood-prone communities to educate residents on evacuation routes, flood risks, and environmental sanitation”, he said.

Ayi noted that the state would soon launch radio awareness campaigns and establish a task force against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in waterways.

He urged residents to obey environmental laws, avoid building on waterways, and report blocked drainage systems to relevant authorities.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. Antigha Gill, said 13 local government areas of the state had been identified as high flood-risk zones.

Gill said SEMA, in collaboration with NEMA, had commenced community sensitisation campaigns across vulnerable areas.

He said the agency had engaged traditional rulers, youth groups, emergency responders, and community stakeholders on flood preparedness and response measures.

“We are telling residents what to expect, protective measures to take, and where to seek refuge when flooding occurs”, Gill said.

He disclosed that the state fire service had also been mobilised to support rescue operations during possible flooding incidents.

He added that government efforts focused on disaster preparedness, early warning systems, and reducing the long-term effects of climate change and poor land use.

The DG said SEMA would expand sensitisation campaigns to other parts of the state, as it had begun stockpiling emergency materials and relief items ahead of the peak rainfall period.

In Rivers State, NEMA urged states to establish SEMAs backed by law to strengthen disaster preparedness and response.

The Acting Director, South-South Zonal Directorate of NEMA, Mr. Eric Ebhodaghe, also urged states to establish functional Local Government Emergency Management Committees for effective disaster response.

He said the appeal followed flood predictions indicating that 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would experience moderate and high flood risks in 2026.

According to him, local emergency committees should serve as first responders, while SEMAs would complement local efforts before seeking national intervention when necessary.

“Disaster management is everybody’s business. We must work together to effectively manage this impending flood,”, he said.

On evacuation plans, Ebhodaghe said emergency frameworks had identified high-risk areas and mapped out safe zones across the country.