Port Harcourt—The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has admonished journalists and other media practitioners to complement the effort of the board towards the ongoing energy transition and growth in the country.
Dr. Ginah O. Ginah, General Manager, Corporate Communications of NCDMB gave the admonition on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the 2021 Capacity Building Workshop for Media Stakeholders tagged “Sustaining Nigerian Content amidst Shifting Energy Landscape: The Role of the Media.”
According to him, based on the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the board has commenced moves to properly leverage the country’s gas capability, while aiming to slowly move from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
He said that “energy transition is not a recent phenomenon as it has been an ongoing occurrence for centuries. The usual trigger being the need to utilize energy that is efficient, effective, and economic.
“The International Energy Agency has predicted that global oil demand will flatten out in the coming two decades. The forecast is that oil demand could peak by the early 2020s and fall by a third to 66 million b/d in 2040, with road transport responsible for over 60% of the reduction.
“Thankfully for Nigeria and other oil-producing countries, a few other projections give a more cheerful outlook.
“Indeed, the International Energy Forum and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have insisted that fossil fuels would retain at least 50 percent of the global energy mix in the next three decades.
“At the NCDMB, we believe strongly that the world would witness energy mix or redistribution rather than an outright swap of fossil fuels to renewable energies.
“However, what is more important is how we react to these emerging developments.
“NCDMB has aligned itself completely with the declaration by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR and Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources that Gas is Nigeria’s Transition Energy.”
Ginah, highlighted projects supported by the board in partnership with several oil and gas companies, which include a partnership with NEDO Gas Processing Company in Kwale, Delta State for the establishment of 80MMscfd of Gas Processing Plant and a 300MMscfd Kwale Gas Gathering hub which is 95% completed.
He also mentioned the board’s partnership with Triansel Gas Limited in Koko, Delta State for the 5,000MT LPG Storage and Loading Terminal Facility and Partnership with Duport Midstream for the construction of Energy Park in Egbokor, Edo State.
Ginah equally mentioned the partnership with Brass Fertiliser for the development of a 10,000MT/day Methanol Plant at Odioama in Brass and partnership with Rungas in Bayelsa and Lagos states for the establishment of plants to manufacture 1.2million units of composite LPG cylinders.
He stated that the partnerships were in line with Section 70(h) of the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010.
In his words: “the basis of our action is Section 70(h) of the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010, which mandates the Board to assist local contractors and Nigerian companies to develop their capabilities and capacities to further the attainment of the goal of developing Nigerian Content in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
“Besides, most of our partnerships are oriented to promote or realise strategic policies of the federal in the petroleum industry. Our goal is to catalyse strategic government policies and programmes and then exit once those businesses become successful.”
Delivering a lecture entitled “Retooling Competencies for the Changing Media Landscape,” Prof. Aniefiok Udoudo,
Head of Department, Linguistics/Communication, Department, University of Port Harcourt, urged journalists to move with the society through consistent learning.
“Acquaint yourself with the dynamics by adapting to new competencies in the journalism profession,” he challenged participants.
Udoudo charged participants to always have the appetite for learning and research, advising that they should let go of old habits and be ready to adopt new ones.
He also appealed to media entrepreneurs to constantly equip their organizations with the latest equipment.
Prof. Chijioke Nwaozuzu, Director, Emerald Energy Institute, University of Port Harcourt, dissected the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) section by section to participants at the workshop.
Speaking with mangrovepen.ng after the event, Mr. Tife Owolabi, a participant and reporter with Reuters, commended the NCDMB for allowing media practitioners to acquaint themselves with the oil and gas industry.
“I commend the organisers of this event for the yearly opportunity it affords us, we the pen-pushers to be updated with knowledge in the best practice around the oil and gas industry.
“Indeed, we learn every day and I enjoyed every session but more particularly the PIA lecture was an eye-opener being a new law. I am now more abreast with its application and defects.
“The anchor did justice to the topic at hand. With this, I am now equipped to apply the knowledge I have gained to my reporting around the oil and gas industry,” he stated.
