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NCDMB Charges Host Community Youths On Relevant Skills Development … As Promoters Handover Oloibiri Oil Museum
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatshola-Ogbe, has advised youths of Otuabagi Community, host of the proposed Oloibiri Oil Museum and Research Centre (OMPRC), in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, to train in diverse skills to enable them gain employment opportunities when the project is completed.
He gave the charge in the community recently during the hand over of the project’s site by its promoters to the contracting firm, Messer’s Julius Berger Plc.
A statement by the Corporate Communications Directorate of the Board said the event marked the completion of formalities and alignment of all key stakeholders towards ensuring that the project proceed without hitches at the exact location where oil production began in Nigeria in 1957.
The statement added that elated at the development, the NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, who doubles as the Project lead, said the multi-billion naira project consisting of world-class Oil and Gas Museum Centre and a Research Testing Centre, was in fulfilment of the expressed desire of the project promoters to place the host community and location of the Oloibiri Oil Well one on the world map.
“The tradition worldwide has been to immortalize the beginnings of the oil and gas industry by citing projects of significant socio-economic worth in communities where exploitation and production of petroleum began.
“The project promoters, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Shell Petroleum Development Company (now Renaissance Africa Energy Limited), and the Bayelsa State Government, believe that the case of Nigeria did not have to be different.
“Museums, research centres and other tourist attractions are distinctive features that give deserved prominence and material benefits to such communities were oil and gas was first struck”, he said.
Ogbe cited Pennsylvania, United States of America, which is reputed to be the birthplace of the American oil industry, and a number of other cities across the world as typical examples of were similar projects were sited.
Represented by the Board’s Director of Corporate Services, Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, Eng. Ogbe informed the community that history was in the making as Julius Berger moves to the 55.05-hectare project site to commence construction.
He assured them that a project management team has been constituted to ensure that timelines and other expectations were strictly adhered to by the construction giant.
The NCDMB Executive Secretary disclosed that a governance structure has already been drawn up for the Museum Centre for purposes of efficient and effective management, and that the community would be given a sense of belonging at all times.
“Prepare to take advantage of training programmes to be provided in diverse skill sets to be able to secure employment in the facility”, the NCDMB boss reiterated.
He commended the Otuabagi Community, particularly its stakeholder Committee led by Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Otuoke, Professor Teddy Adias, for the remarkable maturity and comportment exhibited during earlier disputes relating to the project location.
In his remarks, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Bayelsa State, Hon. Peter Akpe, who represented the Bayelsa State Government, said the handover ceremony signaled the transition from drawing board to action and that a project that had been so long in the pipeline is finally coming to fruition.
He commended the NCDMB, other promoters, amd the community’s Stakeholder Committee for their commitment thus far.
In his remarks, a representative of the contracting firm, and Deputy Regional Manager, South and East, Julius Berger Plc, Mr. Rimon Marisho, expressed appreciation to the NCDMB, the State Government and the Otuabagi Community for all they have done to bring the plans for the project to execution phase.
He described the handover ceremony as “a perfect beginning”, while assuring that the firm is in the site for the reason of development.
In their goodwill messages, President, Ijaw National Congress (INC), Professor Benjamin Okaba, and the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri, pledged their maximum support for the project and assured safe environment for the construction work.
Meanwhile, earlier in a welcome address, the Chairman of the community’s Stakeholder Committee, Professor Adias, expressed appreciation to the NCDMB, PTDF, Shell and Bayelsa State Government for their efforts in actualizing the project, which has been on the drawing board since 1981 in the administration of then President Shehu Shagari.
The handover of the project site to Julius Berger Plc was a momentous event in the history of the Otuabagi Community, which has long yearned for due recognition and development projects as the birthplace of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The Tide gathered that the project promoters: the PTDF, NCDMB, Shell (now Renaissance Africa), and the Bayelsa State Government has a contribution ratio of 40:30:20:10, respectively.
A statement from the NCDMB further noted that key features of the project concept include an imposing Oil and Gas Museum, within which is a display of geological formations, platforms, early equipment and tools marking successive stages in the evolution of oil and gas operations in Nigeria, an interactive screen for digital engagement with professionals, students, tourists and historians across the globe in search of knowledge.
The Research Testing Centre, which is the second arm of the complex, according to the NCDMB, will have an open field around one of the abandoned wells, where field trials of prototypes of oil- and gas-related indigenous research will be conducted, in fulfilment of the requirement for product acceptance in industrial application.
It will also provide access to university students in oil- and gas-related disciplines to potentially appreciate an active oilfield.
Other NCDMB personnel at the event were the General Manager, Human Capaital Development, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile; General Manager, Midstream Monitoring, Mr. Silas Ajimijaye; and General Manager, Facility and Logistics Division, Mr. Suleman Ozhimede.
The Bayelsa State Government team also included Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Perepuighe Biewari; Technical Adviser to the State Governor on Treasury, Revenue and Accounts, Mr. Timipre Seipulo; and Director General, Bayelsa Investment Promotion Agency (BIPA), Ms. Patience Abah.
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Ahead the December 31 effective date for enforcement of the ban on alcoholic drinks and beverages in PET or glass bottles below 200ml, the Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) has warned that Nigeria risks losing more than N2 trillion in investments.
The union urged the federal government to reverse the planned ban, cautioning that the Senate’s directive to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) would trigger severe socioeconomic consequences across the industry.
Speaking at a Press Conference, in Lagos, the President of FOBTOB, Jimoh Oyibo, said repealing the directive would prevent massive job losses and protect the country from economic disruption.
“Repealing the order would avert the grave repercussions that would most definitely follow the ban, especially by saving approximately 5.5 million jobs, both direct and indirect,” he said.
Oyibo appealed to the Senate to invite stakeholders to a public hearing, insisting that all parties must be allowed to present their positions before any decision is made.
“For a fair hearing and to demonstrate good faith, the Senate should invite relevant stakeholders to a Public Hearing to ‘hear the other side’ and be adequately informed to make an informed decision,” he said.
The union leader urged the Senate to carefully review and endorse the validated National Alcohol Policy, describing it as a multi-sectoral framework developed after last year’s public hearing, when the initial call for the ban was raised.
He urged the lawmakers to consider the entire value chain in the alcoholic beverage industry, including formal and informal workers and legitimate local manufacturers, before approving any enforcement.
Highlighting the economic implications, Oyibo said close to N2 trillion invested in machinery and raw materials could be wasted, while over 500,000 direct workers and an estimated five million indirect workers, including suppliers, distributors, marketers, and logistics operators, could lose their livelihoods.
He said “Nearly N2 trillion worth of investments in machinery and raw materials could be lost. Indigenous Nigerian manufacturers risk total collapse, discouraging future investments.
“Smuggling and the circulation of unregulated alcoholic products may skyrocket, worsening public health dangers. Government tax revenue could decline sharply as factories shut down or scale back operations.
“With rising unemployment and no safety nets, this ban will plunge families into poverty. The very children the policy claims to protect may be forced out of school if their parents lose their jobs”.
A Canadian based Nigerian Estate Developer, Andrew Enofie, has said that diversification of investment into the real estate sector remains the key to business sustainability.
Enofie said this during the launch of The Golden Gate investments, in Port Harcourt, recently.
He said real estate sector has always remain stable during period of inflations, adding that diversification into the sector would ensure that businesses never loose out during such periods.
He also called on Nigerian businessmen to put their money into the Canadian estate industry with the view to reaping maximum benefit.
According to him, Canada has one of the lowest inflation rate in the world and Nigerian businessmen can reap benefits by putting their monies into the Canadian estate sector.
Enofie said his company, with many years of experience in the real estate sector, can assist Nigerian businessmen with the quest to acquire property in Canada.
According to him, investors have more opportunities to diversify their funds, saying “it also open doors for investors to invest in the Canadian real estate market.
“With the launch of this fund, we are strategically positioned to navigate current market dynamics,r3 rising demand, shifting rates and evolving economic trends, while focusing on sustainable growth”, he said.
Also speaking, an investor, Mike Ifeanyi, also called on investors to invest in real estate.
He commended the company for its pledged to assist Nigerian businessmen willing to invest in Canada, but added that the whole thing must be transparently done inorder to avoid fraud.
Also speaking, Chukwudi Kelvin, yet another investor, described the event as an eye opener, stressing that time has come for Nigerian investors to go into the Canadian estate sector.
By: John Bibor,/Isaiah Blessing/Umunakwe Ebere/Afini Awajiokikpom
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its continued commitment to driving Nigeria-First policy aimed at encouraging local manufacturers and improving the economy through the non-export sector.
This is as the National Assembly has revealed that a bill for establishing a Weights and Measures Centre is advancing.
Delivering the keynote address at the Opening Ceremony of the 2025 Nigerian International Trade Fair, in Lagos, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, (FMITI), Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said that government would continue to promote locally made goods.
Oduwole stated that the fair was not only an opportunity to showcase the best of Nigerian products but ensuring that the country continues to accelerate its non-oil exports under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister noted that the government’s reforms are working and demands a lot of support from all stakeholders.
In her words, “Already, our non-oil exports have grown by 14 per cent. Our exports to the rest of Africa was the fastest growing at 24 per cent last year Q1, year-on-year, CBN released the results at the end of Q1.
“Now, this shows us that our goods are in demand across Africa. Earlier this year, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment opened an air cargo corridor in partnership with Uganda Air, and we mapped 13 Southern and Eastern African countries who want Nigerian products. We understood that they want our fashion, they want our light manufacturing, our food, our snacks, plantain chips, chin chin.
“They also want our zobo, our shea butter, beauty products. The things we take for granted here, our slippers, our hair wigs, are things that are in demand across the continent. And so we’re here to support our Nigerian exhibitors and to welcome our friends across Africa and across the world.
“Exhibitors, buyers who are interested in purchasing, we’re interested in growing these businesses. So a business that is a small business this year should be a medium-sized business in the next five years. Each trade fair has its uses, each trade fair has its conveners, and really, to be honest, there cannot be too many.
“This trade fair, traditionally, has been the largest in the country, and we want to bring it back to its former glory. There’s nothing like a competition.
On her part, the Executive Director, Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Management Board, Vera Safiya Ndanusa, said the board would, in the coming months, champion structured and modernised regulatory frameworks for trade fairs and exhibitions.
She stressed that reviving the Tafawa Balewa Complex was part of a broader mission to strengthen confidence in the nation’s trade infrastructure, while stimulating industrial activity and showcasing the enormous potential of the nation’s citizens.
“Most importantly, we remain the only agency in Nigeria expressly mandated by law to organise trade fairs, and we intend to restore that statutory responsibility to the prominence it deserves ensuring coherence, quality, and national alignment in trade events across the country.
“We will be deepening our engagement with NACCIMA, whose partnership has historically anchored the success of organised trade in Nigeria, while also strengthening ties with ECOWAS, continental business groups, and international partners who share our vision for a more integrated African marketplace.
“In the coming months, we will champion a more structured and modernised regulatory framework for trade fairs and exhibitions, one that protects stakeholders, ensures standards, and positions Nigeria as a credible and well organised destination for regional and continental commerce”, she stated.
She noted that as Africa embraces the promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area, a new momentum was building across the continent.
“For Nigeria, AfCFTA is not just an economic framework; it is a pathway to industrialisation, job creation, and intra-African collaboration.
“This complex must play a central role in that journey. We intend to make this fairground a primary entry point for African trade, a marketplace where producers and buyers from across the continent meet, a logistics hub connected to regional value chains, a centre for cross-border SME activity, and a launchpad for Nigerian businesses looking to expand beyond our borders.
“To achieve this, we are intentionally expanding access to markets physically, economically, and digitally. We are working to make participation more affordable for SMEs, women-led enterprises, and young entrepreneurs. We are improving mobility within and around the complex. A truly vibrant trade ecosystem must be inclusive, and inclusivity begins with access,” she stated.
Chairman, House Committee on Commerce, Ahmed Munir, commended Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, ED LITF and her team, for promoting the platform as a veritable marketplace of ideas, innovation, and partnership.
He said the event was a clear reflection of the economic agenda of the current administration, supported by Speaker Rt. Hon.Abbas Tajudeen.
According to him, “The House of Representatives recognises that the engine of our economy is the private sector, particularly our Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which contribute nearly 50 per cent to our GDP and employ the vast majority of our citizens.
“To create the competitive environment they need, the National Assembly has been working assiduously to pass and amend vital legislation to enhance the Ease of Doing Business by Streamlining regulatory bottlenecks and reinforcing essential infrastructure to make business operations simpler and more predictable.”
He stressed that as policy makers they would continue to promote the “Nigeria First” Policy through robust legislative support, ensuring that government ministries and agencies prioritise locally manufactured goods in all public procurement processes. “This is our clear statement: We must buy Nigerian to build Nigeria.
“Also to ensure quality and standards, the bill for establishing a Weights and Measures Centre is advancing. Quality is not optional; rather, it is the key to consumer trust and international competitiveness,” he said.
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