NCDMB Pledges Support for Capacity Utilization and Patronage of Nigerian Service Companies
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has affirmed the ongoing strategic importance of patronizing and deploying indigenous oil and gas service companies. This commitment is aimed at leveraging the substantial development of operational capabilities that have occurred since the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act over the years.
During the load-out ceremony of the OML 100 skidded ejector package, which was fabricated and assembled by the indigenous company Wilkriss Nigeria Limited for residual gas recovery in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the NCDMB, Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, expressed the Board’s enthusiasm for witnessing significant breakthroughs in the fabrication space.
He commended TotalEnergies and its Joint Venture (JV) partners, who sponsored the project, for providing an opportunity for capacity utilization by an indigenous company. Additionally, he praised Wilkriss Limited for delivering top-notch quality in project execution.
The NCDMB Director highlighted the project’s significance in two respects, “First is the output, which is the skid itself. Being able to deliver the right quality on schedule.” He pointed to metrics he had observed, which he described as quite good, noting that it is very positive for Monitoring and Evaluation.
The other leg, he explained, is “where we try to evaluate the outcomes in terms of jobs created on the back of this project.”
He stated further “We will be interested in all those metrics: we want to see the manhours covered, the skills developed, probably new capabilities – some of the equipment that you didn’t have before but because of the opportunity that TotalEnergies has provided, you’re able to acquire them.”
He advised the company to update its profile on NCDMB’s Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC-JQS) platform as soon as possible “to show that this is additional capability that you have acquired.”
He also counseled the Management of Wilkriss Limited to sustain the quality assurance attainments already made as evidenced by “all the ISO certifications from HSE to Environment and Quality Management,” as the company moves to its new site “because that is what counts when we talk about technical evaluation.”
Halilu revealed that “NCDMB has conducted a baseline census in fabrication yards and we’ve seen a major trend in terms of burst and boom era, in terms of capacity utilization. So we try as much as possible to give premium attention to fabrication yards to ensure that there’s a healthy pipeline of opportunities for them to sustain the operations of the yards.”
The Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the NCDMB highlighted the broader significance of Wilkriss’s achievement with the Skidded Ejector Package for the oil and gas industry. He emphasized that the project aligns with Nigeria’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
As facilitated by this project, the reduction of gas flaring contributes to the global momentum around decarbonization and the goal of achieving net-zero emissions.
Another crucial aspect of the project is its impact on the feedstock for the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG). The Skidded Ejector Package plays a role in unlocking the availability of feedstock, which is essential for sustaining operations, especially in the context of the NLNG Train-7 expansion.
In his concluding remarks, he urged the company to consider how the knowledge and expertise gained from working on such sophisticated projects can be retained and improved upon. He emphasized the importance of continuous capacity building, especially as new technologies emerge in the industry.
The Executive Director of Wilkriss, Engr. Naaba Umahi expressed gratitude to the NCDMB and the management for their presence at the Load-out Ceremony. He highlighted the project as a major milestone for both the company and the industry, showcasing the capability to execute a project of such magnitude entirely in-country with a 100% Nigerian workforce.
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He commended TotalEnergies for its support throughout the project, noting that both companies agreed on materials that could be procured locally.
Engr. Umahi mentioned that the scope of work included activities from steel cutting to completion, with no rework at any stage. The initial challenges, such as the review of project design, were turned into rewarding experiences that brought out the best in their engineers, resulting in process improvements. He assured the NCDMB that Wilkriss would continuously strive to build capacities for new technologies.
