The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has reaffirmed the board’s commitment to supporting Nigerian oil and gas service companies to sustain local content growth and enhance production operations.
During a facility tour of Lee Engineering and Construction Company Limited’s 10,000-square-metre fabrication yard in Warri, Delta State on Friday, Engr. Ogbe expressed his admiration for the company’s advanced facilities and equipment.
Engr. Ogbe highlighted his satisfaction with the progress in local content development, having observed similar advancements in other service companies across the country. “Seeing is believing,” he remarked, expressing his amazement at the top-grade engineering equipment and machinery at Lee Engineering’s expansive operational base along N.P.A. Expressway. He further stated, “I am so impressed with your facilities.”
Congratulating Lee Engineering on its 34 years of active engagement in engineering, construction, operations, and maintenance (EPCOM) services, Engr. Ogbe acknowledged the company’s successful collaborations with major industry players such as Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO), Chevron Nigeria Limited, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies Limited. He noted the company’s remarkable achievement of completing over 350 major projects with an excellent record of “zero incident, zero downtime.”
“I will collaborate with your company and ensure that jobs you can do will come here,” Engr. Ogbe declared, emphasizing the NCDMB’s role as a business enabler. He also expressed interest in the company’s solar technology, which he identified as crucial for providing electricity to ICT centres established by the NCDMB in secondary schools across the Niger Delta and other parts of the country.
Chief (Dr.) Leemon Ikpea, Chairman and CEO of Lee Engineering and Construction Company, expressed gratitude to Engr. Ogbe and his team for the visit. He highlighted the company’s history since its incorporation in 1991, its headquarters in Ikoyi, Lagos, and its various subsidiaries in Warri, Port Harcourt, Europe, and the United States.
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Reflecting on the state of the Nigerian oil and gas industry in the early 1990s, Dr. Ikpea pointed out the dominance of foreign companies and the significant capital flight, which motivated Nigerian engineers to push for local content. He credited the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010 as a turning point that enabled indigenous companies to compete for and execute projects.
Dr. Ikpea emphasized that only indigenous companies could effectively transfer technology through intensive capacity-building programs, acquisition of hi-tech operational equipment, and project execution.
He highlighted the company’s achievements, including the manufacture of industrial equipment, completion of over 350 projects like the Utorogu Gas Plant and the 150,000-barrel-per-day Odidi Flow Station, and employing 3,500 Nigerians as evidence of the success of local content initiatives. “This is a sign that local content is working,” he asserted, thanking the NCDMB for its support.
Accompanying Engr. Ogbe on the tour were Esueme Dan Kikile, General Manager of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Engr. Mofe Megbele, Senior Technical Assistant to the Executive Secretary, Engr. James Eyetigha, Zonal Coordinator for Delta and Edo States, and other officials.