By Margaret Nongo-Okojokwu

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Wabote, has assured women in the Nigerian oil and gas industry that they will be given special consideration in the allocation of plots of land at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks (NOGAPS) in Bayelsa and Cross states, as the projects near completion.
Wabote stated this recently, in his keynote address at the Nigeria Women in Oil and Gas Conference, which held in Lagos with the theme,”Leveraging Opportunities for Women in the Oil and Gas Industry.”
He encouraged women owned businesses with workable proposals to apply for allocation of plots, noting that it is part of the Board’s commitment to mainstream women in the country’s oil and gas industry.
“Our oil and gas industry parks in Bayelsa State and Cross River State are getting ready for completion and will commence population next year. The industrial parks have been developed as a low cost manufacturing hub for equipment component parts, spare parts, chemicals, consumables, and other products. Look out for the adverts in the newspapers inviting participants, applicants for allocation of plots to set up manufacturing outlets. Women owned businesses with workable proposals are hereby encouraged to apply as you will be given special consideration as part of our commitment to mainstream women in the oil and gas sector,” Wabote said at the conference which was orgarnised by the Board.

In 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari, declared 2021-2030 as the Decade of Gas in Nigeria. The initiative aims to make Nigeria a gas powered economy by 2030. As the country pursues this target, Wabote stated that the role of women will be key in this regard.
He said,”While the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its agencies have been working on various programmes to make the LPG products available, accessible and affordable, I submit that our women in the next phase be at the forefront of LPG acceptability.
“It is our believe that nurturing the career and businesses of women in our oil and gas industry is one of the ways we could further enhance participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry. This is particularly important as the world seeks to answer its energy transition journey. Nigerian women in Energy is a strategic response to build a robust and sustainable stream of professionals and businesses that are adaptable to changing needs in the energy landscape.

Continuing he said,”We have have been deliberate in our infusion of female into our human capacity development programmes and the STEM education; seatime training and marine cadets; ICT labs; technical training; industrial training fund; vocational skill acquisition ; centres of excellence in universities; research and development; technology incubation centres; project management trainings and certification; and many other intervention programmes.”
In July 2021, the NCDMB and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), began the roll-out of a $40 million intervention fund for qualified women entrepreneurs in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Speaking on this, Wabote said,”Also as one of the key challenges that hinders the participation of women in the oil and gas activities is unavailability of funding. We have formed partnership with the NEXIM Bank to establish $40 million Women in Energy Fund, this in addition to $300 million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund , which also provides a long term single digit interest rate funding available with BOI.”

He also promised that the Board will continue to advance women interest in oil and gas industry, adding that it will accelerate the promotion of women to occupy enviable positions within the Board.
“We will definitely leverage on your advocacy skills to influence policy direction, leverage on your intellect to deepen Nigerian Content and leverage your intuition to make the right judgement call when it matters most,” Wabote stated.
Also speaking at the conference, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, said that the NCDMB’s partnership with the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) to roll-out a $40 million intervention fund for qualified women entrepreneurs in the Nigerian oil and gas industry is commendable.
To take advantage of the changing landscape, Sylva said that women in the Nigerian oil and gas industry must work together towards increasing women’s participation in the industry, engendering growth and creating a formidable force to become influential stakeholders.
“The oil and gas industry plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of the world and will continue to play this key role even as the world embark on the energy transition journey. Harnessing the strength, knowledge and expertise of women for the growth of the industry has become very fundamental as well as women unity,” he said.
“Historically, women have shown to be organized people. And in uniting to form a common front, they have many times accomplished what seemed to be impossible or much difficult to achieve. In 1929, women in Aba in the defunct Calabar province of the colonial Nigeria, organized one of the most successful protests in the history of Nigeria. The protest, which is known as Aba Women Riot, brought something new to the political dynamics of the region. The women challenged the British indirect rule system, which empowered the Warrant Chiefs as British representatives or middlemen between the people and the colonial government. The protest forced the colonial government to jettison the Warrant Chief system in the region, after several weeks of negotiation.”

On her part, the Board Chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, Senator Margery Okadigbo, said that the oil and gas industry is perhaps the most challenging for women professionally.
Okadigbo appealed to NCDMB to replicate its Project 100 module for women in the oil and gas industry, noting that this will in addition to increasing industry innovation lead to development.
She pointed out that as a significant contributor to the Nigerian economy, it is important to encourage the participation and involvement of women in the industry.
“There is no better time to promote this forum than now, especially with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). And our president has graciously appointed women , including myself into strategic board positions and executive management positions,” she said.

“In conclusion, we appeal to the NCDMB leadership to consider a replication of the NCDMB Project 100 model for women in oil and gas business. We believe that will further help in mainstreaming women into the industry, increase industry innovation and development.”
Earlier in her welcome address, Chairman of Nigerian Content Diversity Sectoral Working Group, Mrs. Alero Onosode, stated that progress has been made in the NCDMB’s commitment to increase women’s participation in the oil and gas industry, but noted that more needed to be done.

Onosode explained that the oil and gas industry remains technically oriented and capital intensive “ but I also know that with each opportunity that we come across, we also must face it with preparedness, resilience and fortitude.”
She went to say,”I think we all agree that the landscape offers us measurable opportunities. The oil and gas industry remains pivotal to the change that we want to see in our country and the world at large. The energy transition even offers us more opportunities and more roles to play. But the only thing we know well is that that change will only come when we begin to get new creative energy around the table, new solutions to problems that are ahead of us. That means that the first around the table is to change.”