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Group Backs Nigerian Content Dev Board’s Reforms

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9 years ago

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Transparency in Petroleum Exploration and Development Initiative (TIPEDI) has endorsed ongoing reforms at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Secretary of TIPEDI, Dr Michael Amaegberi, made this known in a statement issued in Yenagoa, Thursday.
TIPEDI is a Non-Governmental Organisation monitoring operations in the nation’s oil and gas industry,
Amaegberi said that the reforms would institutionalise competency assessment of staff for efficiency and enhanced service delivery in the operations of the NCDMB and by implication the oil and gas sector.
He said that the current management led by the Executive Secretary, Mr Simbi Wabote, had adopted best practices by  transforming the human resource evaluation system to make it performance driven by the innovation.
He hoped that at the end of the process, a more efficient regulatory and content development organisation that could meet high expectations of key players in the oil and gas sector would be built.
He said the engagement of KPMG to conduct the review of human resource processes, and competency test, indicated a desire to raise the quality of service of the board.
“Some of the ongoing reforms in NCDMB, including welfare issues were inherited by Mr Wabote and it is instructive to note that he has not shied away from undertaking the various exercises that are necessary to restore sanity in the work environment.
“The move is in line with the change agenda of the Buhari administration and the public service rules.
“The review of organisational structure, we understand will help define clearly, departments and units and requirement for officers to occupy various positions.
“The board will determine where additional manpower will be needed as the process will encourage promotion of staff and the employment of new ones to fill vacant positions after the board would have identified where there are capacity deficiencies,” he said.
Amaegberi commended all staff and particularly top management officers for submitting themselves to the recently completed competency test to identify their competency profile based on knowledge, skills, ability and attitude required to function at the optimum level.
He observed that the ongoing performance, skills and competence study by KPMG was a departure from past practices where staff were arbitrarily sent for all manner of trainings whether relevant to their work or not.
He urged the management to sustain the ongoing conduct of staff verification, which was started before the appointment of Wabote to rid the board of those whose employment process did not follow established procedure.
According to Amaegberi, the verification will also fish out those with possible fake certificates in a process that must be seen to be fair and transparent, devoid of victimisation or high handedness.
He expressed delight that many staff actually welcomed the ongoing reforms in NCDMB because they believe it would  enhance staff performance and improve overall quality of activities of the board.
The NGO said that its investigations showed that some workers who were opposed to the ongoing reforms were doing so because they were fed with wrong information on the intentions of the management.
“Our interaction with NCDMB management reveals that the exercise will not lead to the dismissal of any staff or in any way deny anyone of their promotion as long as their employment process as well as qualifications are in order,” he said.
Amaegberi advised the NCDMB management to ensure regular interaction with staff and open different channels of communication to intimate the in-house union of proposed policies and changes in the organisation.
The group noted that sensitising the workforce on the ongoing innovations would foster harmonious relationship between management and workers at all times.

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Environment

Why Buildings Keep Collapsing In Nigeria…. NIOB

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6 days ago

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March 16, 2026

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The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) has attributed the recurring building collapse cases across the country to weak construction laws and failure to hold offenders accountable.
President of the institute, Daniel Kolade, made this known in Abuja at the 2026 Builders Day celebration, themed, “Advocacy and Policy Influence: Towards Sustainable Reforms for a Resilient Built Environment”
He expressed worry that, in spite of concerns over building safety, a key regulatory framework meant to strengthen enforcement within the built environment has remained pending before the National Assembly since 2006.
According to him, the delay has created a situation where those responsible for structural failures often escape punishment.
“Because the enforcement arm of the law is still lying with the National Assembly and has not been passed into law since 2006, the room remains for people to go scot-free when these incidents happen,” Kolade said.
According to Kolade, the lack of consequences encourages negligence on construction sites, as many operators believe little or nothing will happen, even if they violate building regulations.
Kolade cited previous building collapse incidents where, years after the tragedies, no individual had been prosecuted or sanctioned.
“As long as people continue to go free when these things happen, you should expect that it may not stop,” he said.
The NIOB president also said that the growing number of unqualified individuals working on construction sites worsened the problem.
He said it has become common for people without the required training or professional certification to assume technical roles in building projects.
“On most construction sites today, everybody claims to be an engineer, even labourers.
“Without the requisite knowledge and understanding, people just assume roles they are not qualified for,” he said.
Kolade noted that professional builders are regulated by the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), which has the authority to register practitioners and discipline erring members.
He explained that builders found guilty of professional misconduct should face sanctions, including the withdrawal of their practicing licences.
However, he said the absence of a strong enforcement mechanism outside professional bodies makes it difficult to prosecute developers or project promoters who violate construction standards.
“In Nigeria, only one major case in Lagos saw the building promoter go down with the incident.
“In many other cases across the country, those responsible have walked free,” he said.
Kolade stressed that the built environment consists of several specialised professionals, each with defined responsibilities, including builders, architects and engineers.
He said the NIOB remained committed to promoting professionalism, ethical standards and quality assurance within the building industry.
March 13 is observed annually as Builders’ Day to create public awareness about the roles of professional builders and the importance of engaging qualified professionals in construction projects.
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Environment

Lagos Resumes Monthly Environmental Sanitation April 25

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6 days ago

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March 16, 2026

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The Lagos State Government has announced the resumption of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, nearly a decade after it was suspended in the state.
Residents are expected to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in front of their homes, and dispose of waste responsibly as part of efforts to improve environmental hygiene and tackle waste management challenges.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on Saturday, disclosed the development in a statement, explaining that the exercise would officially restart later in the year.
“I am pleased to inform all Lagosians that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will resume effective Saturday, 25th April 2026, holding on the last Saturday of every month from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
“During this period, residents are enjoined to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in their frontages, and dispose of waste properly as a civic responsibility.”
Wahab urged residents to view the initiative as a shared duty toward building a healthier city, stressing that the government would ensure strict compliance.
“This exercise is a collective responsibility and a vital part of our commitment to a cleaner, healthier, and flood-resilient Lagos. And it shall be backed with the full enforcement weight of the Lagos State Government,” he said.
Explaining the significance of reintroducing the sanitation culture, the commissioner said the state was returning to a practice that once formed part of Lagosians’ lifestyle.
“Let me formally say this and say it boldly. Mr Governor and his deputy are taking a very audacious step. For those who don’t know, prior to 2016, we had a culture that emphasised cleanliness as next to godliness.
“Once every month, we took our time to clean up our surroundings and then maintain them sparkling. However, for some years, we stopped it.”
He said the absence of the exercise had contributed to mounting environmental pressures in the state.
“Now, waste, debt, and environmental challenges have become an existential challenge to us as a state. It’s taken us over a year to debate, talk, and agree that it’s time to reintroduce a monthly environmental sanitation,” Wahab said.
Appealing to residents for cooperation, he urged Lagosians to dedicate a small portion of their time each month to environmental cleanliness.
“It’s a plea that it is time for us to give up just one or two hours a month. In our marketplaces, every Thursday, we observe environmental cleanliness. But this time, we are saying as a state, let us sit back once a month and observe the cleanliness of our environment as we used to before 2016.”
“The monthly sanitation exercise, previously held on the last Saturday of every month between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the exercise.
The suspension later coincided with growing waste management concerns, including clogged drainage channels and indiscriminate refuse disposal across parts of the state.
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Environment

Illegal Buildings On Embassies’ Land Will Be Demolished – Wike

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6 days ago

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March 16, 2026

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has condemned the construction of buildings on land allocated to foreign embassies in the diplomatic zone of Katampe Extension, Abuja, describing them as illegal structures.
Wike spoke on Friday while addressing journalists during an inspection tour of ongoing infrastructure projects across the FCT.
He said the illegal structures would not be allowed to stand and ordered the demolition of the affected buildings.
During the tour, the minister inspected several roads and infrastructure projects, including the route linking Wuse to the Central Area, a road near the Body of Benchers complex, and the Tungan-Madaki road off the airport corridor.
He expressed confidence that many of the projects would be completed in time for the inauguration marking the third anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
On the illegal structures occupying embassy land, Wike said the plots had originally been allocated on March 18, 2008, to various diplomatic missions for residential purposes, but were later seized by an illegal developer who began construction without approval from the Federal Capital Development Authority.
“This land was allocated to various embassies in 2008. Somebody just came here, took the land, and started developing it on their own without approval from the FCDA. We cannot allow this kind of land invasion to continue,” he said.
Wike listed the diplomatic missions affected to include Thailand, Bulgaria, Syria, Somalia, Serbia and Montenegro, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Senegal, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation. A portion of the land had also been reserved for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria for a 132/133KV power station.
The minister said the FCTA had directed the Department of Development Control to demolish all structures on the land and restore it to its original purpose.
“I have told them to bring down every building standing on this land,” he said, adding that the affected embassies would be formally notified to take possession of their allocated plots.
Wike also disclosed that the suspected developer had been arrested and would soon be prosecuted.
“The man has been arrested and he will be charged in court. The police are carrying out their investigation and he will be charged any moment from now,” he said.
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