Business
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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The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has asked companies in the oil and gas sector to undertake urgent review of salaries of their workers in view of the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country.
Also, the pensioners of Chevron Nigeria, under the aegis PenCoN, have lauded the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo and his executive on their unrelenting efforts toward addressing pension abnormalities faced by retired workers in the oil and gas industry.
The association also appealed to the federal government to take necessary measures to check banditry and terrorist activities in parts of the country.
PENGASSAN President, Osifo who addressed journalists shortly after the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, at the weekend, said that though a lot of success has been recorded in negotiating salary reviews for its members, there are still organisations that have failed to lift their workers from the present harsh economic situation.
He said within this period, PENGASSAN has signed numerous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) which has brought smiles to the faces of its teeming members.
“This is because we recognise that our job, literally, is how to protect the job of our members, and how to enhance their pay,” he said.
Osifo said that operators in the oil and gas sectors always go for the best qualified professionals to carry out their operations.
“So, the same way they recruit the best, we also challenge them to provide the best condition of service and provide the best remuneration.
“Yes, today, a lot of companies will have achieved successes, but there are still few that we are still discussing at their CBAs, that we are not yet there.
“We still use this opportunity to call on these companies that are still foot dragging, that are still holding back, even with the massive devaluation that has occurred in our country, that still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members.
“We are calling on them to do the needful, because for us in PENGASSAN we will push without holding back. We will push, using everything in our arsenal, to ensure that the needful is done,” he said.
Osifo spoke of the dispute with the Dangote Refinery group, saying there are still pending issues to be resolved.
“Gentlemen of the press, during the networking session, we also looked at the issues that are plaguing some of our branches, and you know that recently, we had some challenges in Dangote Refinery and PetroChemicals Ltd.
“And within this period, since our last National Industrial Action, we have been engaging them in a lot of conversations, but the issues are not fully resolved. There are still a lot of pending issues.
“Yes, the NEC decided that, yes, let us still consummate that process by pushing those issues, by engaging in dialogue to resolve the issues, and by also engaging all our social partners and stakeholders to get the issues resolved,” he said.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched the Regulatory Hub, a new centralized digital platform designed to streamline collaboration, strengthen oversight, and improve transparency across Nigeria’s financial and capital market ecosystem.
The Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.
According to the commission, the platform connects key regulatory and security institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), enabling them to exchange information securely and in real time.
The launch of this regulatory hub comes ahead of the implementation of new tax laws in January 2026, with agencies such as the FIRS spreading its tentacles across sector to monitor compliance.
According to the SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, the launch marks a significant step toward modernizing Nigeria’s regulatory framework through technology.
“The Regulatory Hub is a major step in our commitment to leverage technology for stronger regulatory synergy. By connecting regulators on one platform, we are building resilience, enhancing market integrity, and promoting investor confidence,” he said.
The SEC said the platform would help reduce bottlenecks in regulatory processes and facilitate faster, more informed decision-making across agencies.
Reinforcing the DG’s comments, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, Bola Ajomale, highlighted the operational benefits of the new system.
“The platform will significantly improve the timeliness and quality of regulatory decision-making. It provides a single window for regulators to share data, respond to requests, and collaborate seamlessly in safeguarding our financial and capital markets,” he said.
The commission believes the Regulatory Hub would support its broader mandate to strengthen investor protection, enhance market stability, and harmonize regulatory activities across the financial sector.
It urged stakeholders to initiate interest by emailing the Commission, adding that once registered, participants would be able to access the Hub and take advantage of its features.
Business
NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing circulation of banned food products across markets in the country.
The agency, in a Press Release dated 6 December 2025, warned that these items including pasta, noodles, sugar and tomato paste are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are illegal to import.
NAFDAC stated that the sale and distribution of such prohibited items violate national trade laws, compromise the integrity of Nigeria’s food control system, and pose significant public health risks, as they have not undergone the agency’s mandatory safety and quality evaluations.
Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.
The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.
The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.
“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.
NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.
By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu
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