News
NCDMB Commissions Centre Of Excellence For OEM
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, has commissioned PE Energy’s ultra-modern Centre of Excellence in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which would provide services in Automation, Process and Systems Integration as well as Valve Assembly, Valve Actuation, Metering Systems, Pump and Compressor Solutions.
The facility would also offer services in Instrument Fitting Manufacturing and Service Lines, Training and Competence Assessment, in addition to assembling Early Production Facilities (EPFs) and Mobile Production Units (MOPUs) which are essential in the nation’s aspiration to increase oil and gas production.
Speaking at the event attended by senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of international and local oil and gas operating companies, Wabote commended PE Energy for contributing to the growth of the Nigerian oil and gas sector and Nigerian Content.
He hinted that the company’s area of speciality in Automation, Process and System Integration is of special interest to the board, especially as the oil and gas industry prepares itself to fully tap into the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He stated that the industry was going into an era where massive adoption of technology and innovation would become the norm, adding that “from unmanned FPSO’s to carbon capture technologies to achieve net-zero emissions, from Big Data Analytics for seismic surveys to the use of Augmented Realities for Human Capacity Development, the board is delighted that Nigerian industry players are keen to adopt and deploy these new innovations.”
Wabote described PE’s Centre of Excellence as an excellent addition to top-notch facilities that showcases the success of Local Content in Nigeria and enhances the journey to the actualisation of the 10-year strategic roadmap targeted to achieve 70percent Nigerian Content in the oil and gas sector by the year 2027.
He also lauded PE Energy’s partnership with global brands in the automation and instrumentation industry, adding that such partnerships would enhance the acquisition of skills by the employees of PE Energy Ltd.
He stated that “the quality of the facility guarantees that none of the international operating companies would have any doubt that if given an assignment to PE Energy, it would produce the same quality you will see outside Nigeria.”
While commending the international oil companies for their continuous support in the successful implementation of Nigerian Content, he noted that PE Energy’s Centre of Excellence would lead to cost reduction and enhancement of the reliability and availability of oil companies’ production facilities.
In his address, the Managing Director of PE Energy Limited, Engr. Daere Akobo said that the facility was 100percent local driven, from administration to technology, adding that the state-of-the-art facility spreads across an area of 10,820sqm.
He noted that the multi-million-dollar investment had positioned the company as an automation process and system integration company in the service of critical process value chain in the oil and gas industry, offering innovative solutions for the exploration, extraction, processing, transportation, and distribution sectors.
Reeling out the company’s capacities, Akobo said that the firm had delivered projects across sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya and Ghana, and had also acquired a seismic detection technology and got approval from President Muhammadu Buhari to fly the northern basin of the country.
Akobo announced that the Centre of Excellence would consolidate the partnership between NCDMB and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), and focus on material substitution, which entails research and development in the use of raw materials for the formulation of drilling and completion fluids and additives.
He added that the facility would provide linkage between the industry and academia and serve as a Competence Assessment Centre and contribute towards the creation of highly competent manpower through hands-on training in collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
In his goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Gabriel Tanimu underscored the ministry’s contributions to the promotion of Nigerian businesses and partnerships.
He added that “Once a business has the blessings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it achieves better results, rather than just going out to engage international partners on their own.”
Tanimu hinted that the ministry promotes the Nigerian Content Policy and was canvasses for international companies to set up facilities in Nigeria and take advantage of the large market.
He charged operators of the oil industry to patronise PE Energy to ensure return on investment and encourage other investors in the sector.
By: Nelson Chukwudi
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.