The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Simbi Wabote, says that the number of expatriates working in the Nigerian oil and gas sector has been reduced by 80 per cent.

Wabote disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the NCDMB’s third quarter engagement with the media, which focused on the major achievements of the board.

“From 2010 till date, the board has reduced the number of expatriates in the Nigerian petroleum industry by 80 per cent.

“ Nigerians now occupy key positions and deliver critical services in the industry,’’ he said.

The executive secretary said that before the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, oil welding activities were done outside Nigeria because of lack of world-class welding facilities.

“Today, we are fabricating about 60,000 metric tonnes per annum in Nigeria, which never existed before.

“We have about five world-class welding yards as we speak today. These welding facilities can compete with any of their peers outside the country.

“Today, 95 per cent of service companies in the oil and gas sector, be it onshore and swamp drilling activities, well intervention facilities, well simulation activities and others, are being done by Nigerians.

“These used to be the exclusive preserve of multinational companies like Schlumberger, Haliburton and others; but Nigerians have taken all those responsibilities in the land and swamp areas, especially in the area of drilling,’’ he said.

On the operations of the upstream sector, Wabote noted that in the past, it was the multinationals that were operating all the existing fields.

He, however, said that Nigerians were now operating those fields which accounted for between 25 percent and 30 percent of oil production in the country, aside domestic gas production.

The executive secretary also said that margin fields were currently being produced by Nigerian companies, adding molecules to oil production.