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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Thursday, called on the international oil companies operating in Nigeria to avail competent Nigerian engineering and manufacturing firms better opportunities to be part of major energy projects.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, quoted the president as saying this while receiving the Founder and Chairman of Lee Engineering Group, Leemon Ikpea, at the Presidential Villa Abuja.
The statement was titled ‘President Tinubu Backs Nigerian Engineering as Local Firm Builds Compressor Stations to Unlock Escravos–Lagos Pipeline’s 2.3 billion Cubic Feet Daily Gas Capacity.’
Blueprint reports that Lee Engineering is carrying out the engineering, procurement and construction of two midline compressor stations in Edo state.
The statement further said the stations were needed to raise operating pressure on the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline System so that it could deliver at its full capacity of 2.3 billion standard cubic feet of gas a day.
The designed capacity of the pipeline was raised from 1.1 billion under the ELPS II expansion.
According to Onanuga, the project was expected to strengthen gas supply to power plants and industries along the corridor and increase supplies to neighbouring West African countries through the West African Gas Pipeline, creating opportunities for additional export revenue.
“President Tinubu said Nigeria First must translate into more contracts for capable Nigerian firms, greater use of locally manufactured equipment and more skilled jobs for Nigerians,” he said.
The president urged oil international oil companies to build stronger partnerships with indigenous engineering companies with demonstrated capacity to deliver complex projects.
Onanuga said: “He also pointed to his administration’s 2024 executive orders and presidential directives on local content compliance, contracting costs, and approval timelines as measures to attract investment, cut delays, and expand opportunities for Nigerian businesses.”
The president, according to the statement, also reaffirmed his determination to unlock Nigeria’s gas resources to power industries, improve electricity supply, create jobs and boost export earnings.
According to him, the Nigeria First policy must translate into more contracts for capable Nigerian firms, greater use of locally manufactured equipment and more skilled jobs for Nigerians.
He also called on the international oil companies to build stronger partnerships with indigenous engineering firms that had shown they could deliver complex projects.
Earlier, Mr Ikpea commended the Nigeria First Policy, pointing out that Lee Engineering’s fabrication yard in Warri, Delta State, was making some components for the compressor stations, adding that the facility housed some of the most advanced fabrication equipment in the industry.
Ikpea also said that Nigerian companies had invested heavily in equipment, technology and skilled personnel and could now undertake complex projects previously handled by foreign contractors, keeping more jobs, expertise and economic value in the country.
… Reps demand bi-weekly report on oil spill
In a related development, the House of Representatives Committee on the South South Development Commission (SSDC) has demanded a bi-weekly update from agencies on all remediation efforts. The charge followed gas seepage in Bille Community of Rivers State, and oil spills in Odidi, Ogulagha, Odimodi and other communities in Delta state.
Chairman of the committee, Hon. Julius Pondi, gave the directive to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) at a resumed investigative hearing on the said incidents, Thursday in Abuja.
The committee had expressed worries over the failure most of the agencies expected at the resumed hearing to bring environmental impact assessments and other relevant documents requested.
The chairman said the investigative hearing demonstrated the committee’s commitment to its oversight responsibilities, particularly the protection of the environment, livelihoods and welfare of people in the South-South region.
In his presentation, a representative of Odidi, one of the communities affected by the oil spills, Mr Odokomaiye, a senior lawyer, said the spill was still ongoing, adding that all 14 communities in the area had been affected by the spillage.
Consequent upon this, a committee member, Rodney Ebikake, subsequently moved a motion that NOSDRA and NUPRC, as regulators of the oil sector should be asked to provide bi-weekly reports on their remediation efforts, following which the chairman ruled that the agencies act as approved by members.
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