June 28 (THEWILL) — The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the NLNG Ltd have reaffirmed commitment to deepen the existing close collaboration between the agencies towards enhancing in-country value addition from operations of the gas processing and marketing company, for the benefit of the Nigerian economy.
The NLNG Train 7 project is a massive $10 billion expansion located on Bonny Island in Rivers State, Nigeria. It is designed to increase the Nigeria LNG Terminal’s total production capacity by 35%—from 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (mtpa) to 30 mtpa.
The General Manager, Corporate Communications of NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi and General Manager External Relations & Sustainable Development in NLNG, Sophia Horsfall in a statement said the renewed commitment was made last Wednesday when the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Engr. Adeleye Falade paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe at the Board’s liaison office in Lagos.
Speaking during the visit, Falade said the company remains focused on deepening Nigerian Content, strengthening indigenous capacity and retaining greater in-country value across its gas value chain.
He confirmed that ongoing construction of its Train 7 project had reached 90 per cent and pre-commissioning activities had started.
He said plans are afoot to commission the new facility in 2027 and increase NLNG’s overall production capacity by 35 per cent.
The NLNG boss expressed delight that the Train 7 project had created direct employment opportunities for 16,000 persons on the site, reducing insecurity and impacting positively on the nation’s socio-economic stability.
He lauded the close collaboration between both entities, recalling that they pioneered many initiatives together for the benefit of the sector, affirming that such accomplishments would be surpassed under his leadership.
“As a major player in Nigeria’s gas sector, we recognise our responsibility to support indigenous capacity, grow local supply chains, and ensure that our activities continue to deliver meaningful value to the Nigerian economy,” Falade said.
Falade further stated that NLNG would sustain its focus on practical areas of collaboration with the Board, including vendor development, skills enhancement, technology transfer, local procurement, and value retention.
“Our commitment is to work closely with the Board in a manner that is deliberate, measurable, and impactful. We want NLNG’s operations and partnerships to continue opening doors for Nigerian businesses, building competitive local capabilities, and supporting the long-term growth of Nigeria’s gas industry,” he added.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe congratulated Engr. Falade on his appointment and promised that NCDMB would support him to succeed in his role.
He confirmed that NCDMB and NLNG share a relationship that is beyond regulator and operator, recalling how the Board and NLNG in June 2017 signed the first of its kind Service Level Agreement (SLA) on Nigerian Content project approval timelines and compliance, which later became a template for the oil and gas industry.
Ogbe further charged NLNG to enhance its support on the Brass Shipyard project, which is the capacity development initiative (CDI) on the Train 7 project. He commended the company for collaborating with NCDMB on the project, which will establish a drydock facility, a key oil and gas infrastructure that will benefit NLNG’s business as well as the entire country.
Sam Diala is a Bloomberg Certified Financial Journalist with over a decade of experience in reporting Business and Economy. He is Business Editor at THEWILL Newspaper, and believes that work, not wishes, creates wealth.
