The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has enjoined operators in the midstream segment of the oil and gas industry to comply with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010, or risk attracting sanctions, including project withdrawal, suspension and criminal prosecution.
The Board also reaffirmed that obtaining the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificates (NCEC) attracts zero processing fees, and it had banned the use of middlemen in all its transactions and confirmed that expired or misapplied NCECs will lead to automatic disqualification from tenders.
These positions anchored the NCDMB Sensitisation Workshop for Midstream Companies and Stakeholders, held on Friday in Lagos, as the Board deployed a five-directorate technical team to deepen compliance awareness across Nigeria’s fast-expanding midstream segment.
Organised by the Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate and supported by the Project Certification and Authorisation Directorate, Capacity Building Directorate and Planning, Research and Statistics Directorate, the workshop was themed, ‘Compliance with the Provisions of the NOGICD Act 2010: The Path to Industrialisation’.
Opening the workshop, the Acting Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, NCDMB, Mr. Omomehin Ajimijaye, said the decision to host the Lagos leg of the engagement underscored the Board’s commitment to extending Nigerian content enforcement beyond the upstream sector and the Niger Delta region.
“Today’s workshop is one of the key platforms for deepening engagement with the midstream sector. We are not focused only on the upstream sector. We are also doing our best to ensure that our midstream and downstream stakeholders are carried along in the quest for Nigerian content value expansion, and for the economic progress and energy security of our country,” he said.
Conveying the appreciation of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe, he thanked participants for honouring the invitation at short notice, describing them as strategic partners in the Board’s national mandate.
Ajimijaye outlined four objectives of the engagement: deepening understanding of the NOGICD Act; clarifying statutory reporting templates; addressing midstream-specific compliance challenges; and strengthening collaboration between the Board and industry players.
“Your feedback is crucial as we move towards our collective goal of raising Nigerian content to 70 per cent. This journey requires partnership and mutual understanding,” Ajimijaye added.
The Director of Capacity Building, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, said, “The Act mandates all operators and contractors to prioritise Nigerian employment and training,” noting that any project or contract valued at $1m and above must submit an Employment and Training Plan for Board approval.
He explained the NCDMB Field Readiness Initiative, designed to bridge workforce gaps created by retirements and emigration of some personnel, and open the oil and gas sector to OND, HND and BSc holders via the NOGIC JQS portal.
Bamidele reiterated that NCEC processing is completely free, middlemen are prohibited, and companies must own, not lease, certified equipment.
Delivering a detailed technical presentation, the Supervisor, Project Certification and Authorisation Directorate, Mr. Elvis Ogede, explained that every operator was statutorily required to submit a Nigerian Content Plan in line with Sections 7 and 8 of the Act.
“With respect to your scope of work, we expect you to set targets. These targets are achievable, not just aspirations — with the capacity that exists in-country,” Ogede said.
He explained that operators must engage the Board at five mandatory points, including Nigerian Content Plan submission; approval of selective or sole-source contracting strategies; review of invitation-to-tender documents; participation in bid openings; and submission of technical and commercial evaluation reports before issuance of the Nigerian Content Compliance Commitment.
Clarifying recent changes, Ogede stressed that the NCCC was not a certificate of past compliance but a binding commitment.
“It is not a certificate that you have complied. It is a commitment — what you are going to do — and you will be monitored against it,” he said.
He also warned that Memoranda of Association could no longer substitute for valid NCEC, that expired NCECs are disqualifying, and that service-specific certification is mandatory.
“Nobody should expect to use a consultancy NCEC for fabrication work and then complain when disqualified,” he added.
The Deputy Manager, Midstream Monitoring Division, Mr. Damola Aderibigbe, outlined the Board’s monitoring framework, which spans performance, compliance and intervention monitoring across upstream, midstream and downstream operations.
“We do not just monitor activities — we measure performance against commitment,” he said.
He listed 14 statutory reports required from companies and warned that late or incomplete submissions remained the most common compliance failures.
Aderibigbe stressed that engineering firms must hold corporate COREN accreditation, not just individual staff certification.
“If you fall short of the law, remediation will be required, suspension may follow, legal action can be taken, and projects can be withdrawn. But the Board is a business enabler — we want compliance, not conflict,” he said.
The Supervisor, Planning, Research and Statistics Directorate, Mr. Emmanuel Paulker, said that the NOGIC JQS portal had registered 406,000 individuals and 11,445 companies, including 115 operators, though much of the midstream sector remains outside the system.
He said 1,603 expatriate quota applications had been processed, with 1,417 approvals, generating 13,833 employment commitments, and warned that companies must obtain NCDMB’s approval before approaching the Federal Ministry of Interior.
“Anything outside that process is a contravention of the law,” Paulker said.
Delivering the vote of thanks, the Supervisor, Midstream Monitoring Division, Engr. Pius Waritimi, reiterated that compliance commitments are binding and encouraged stakeholders to engage the Board early.
“We want everyone here to join the NCCF and the Sectoral Working Groups, where industry concerns can be addressed constructively,” he said.
