Busy weekend for a Technocrat passionate about Nigeria’s greatness, It was indeed a busy weekend for Engr Simbi Wabote the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.
This is a man that is so passionate about Nigeria’s greatness and development and is doing everything possible to make Nigeria great again. On Friday last week reports had it that Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board ( NCDMB) stakes $10m on Waltersmiths Modular Refinery, an agreement he signed in Lagos and the next Monday he was in Abuja for another National Assignment for a Nigerian Content seminar.
If all the government agencies are this busy and working hard to make Nigeria great the country would be a better place to be. Last Friday in Lagos the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring
Board signed a $10m equity investment agreement with Waltersmiths refining and petrochemical company limited for the construction of a 500 barrels per day modular refinery to be located in Ibigwe , Imo state.
Engr Simbi Wabote The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB Engr Simbi Kesiye Wabote and the Director of Finance and Personnel Managements Mr Isaac Yalah signed on behalf of the Board while the Chairman of Waltersmiths Mr Abdulrasaq Isah and the Executive Vice Chairman Mr Danjuma Sale signed for the company. Engr Wabote said the investment decision was in line with the Board’s vision to be the catalyst for the Industrialisation of the Nigeria oil and Gas industry and its linkage sectors. He added that the Board was also keen to support Federal Government’s policy on modular refineries and meet the key objectives of the Petroleum Industry ‘s seven big wins launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016. And the Economic Recovery and growth programme. It will be recalled that the Federal Government recently announced plans to replace illegal oil refineries with modular refineries as part of a wider plan for the development of the Niger Delta, and the country’s oil and gas industry.
The Minister of state Petroleum Dr Ibe Kachikwu said recently that discussions have already begun on the modalities for operating modular refineries. He said “In the past few weeks, we have had open and prospective discussions with some of the refiners and government is assiduously working to ensure this initiative is carefully implemented without destruction to the environment.
“This will not only provide a legal job and source of income for the populace, but also contribute to our national productivity. “
In another development the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board is set to commence a forensic audit into $200m Nigerian Content Development Fund. Executive Secretary of NCDMB Engr Wabote stated this in Abuja on Monday while speaking on the theme ‘driving Nigeria’s oil and gas
industry towards sustained economic development and growth’ at a seminar on Nigeria’s oil and gas conference. Speaking at the conference Mr Wabote warned that if the Board discovers any sabotage in the remittance of one percent NCDF Charge it will not hesitate to handover such defaulting company to the EFCC. He regretted that despite efforts of the Board to ensure the success of the local content in the country, some International oil companies were in the habit of coming up excuses why the local content cannot be achieved. He said ‘this is no longer acceptable’.
