Financial Energy Review
……..NCDMB OBSERVES THE HIGHEST STANDARDS
ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND DUE PROCESS IN IT OPERATIONS…….
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB)
wishes to firmly and unequivocally rebut the false, malicious, and
misleading publication by Sahara Reporters on February 12, 2025, titled –
EXCLUSIVE: NIGERIAN CONTENT BOARD NCDMB BOSS OGBE
SPENDS N7 BILLION ON CONSULTANCY, OVER 580 MILLION ON 5-
DAY LONDON TRAINING, LOGISTICS, ALLOWANCES.
The publication is riddled with falsehoods, gross inaccuracies and baseless
inferences.
We wish to state that neither the Board nor the Executive Secretary spent
the amount stated in the headline of the referenced statement.
It is a fact that in 2017, the Board developed a 10-Year Strategic Roadmap
underpinned by five pillars and four enablers. The 10-Year Strategic
Roadmap targets in-country retention of 70% spend in the oil and gas
industry by 2027, amongst other measurable targets.
One of the four enablers of the 10-Year Strategic Roadmap is Stakeholder
Collaboration and Engagement, borne out of a need to ensure harmonious
policy and regulatory implementation by all agencies and institutions of
government. It is against this background that the Board has every two
years organised a Strategic Workshop with Heads of Ministries,
Departments, and Agencies of government that pertain to the oil and gas
industry to interrogate and find areas of alignment in the implementation of
the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act,
2010.
In carrying out this Strategic Workshop and every other activity of NCDMB,
due process was followed in ensuring that all financial expenditures were
made following approved financial and procurement guidelines. We wish to
emphasize that NCDMB operates under strict government regulations and
oversight bodies.
It is regrettable that Sahara Reporters, known for its sensationalism and
lack of investigative rigour, has once again published unverified claims
designed to mislead the public and tarnish the hard-earned reputation of
our Executive Secretary and esteemed organization.
The NCDMB categorically refutes the false claims made in the publication.
The allegations of misappropriation to the tune of N7.7 billion without due
approval are entirely baseless, mischievous, and aimed at tarnishing the
reputation of the Board and the Executive Secretary. There was no such
expenditure of N7.7 billion naira by the Board for consultancy services.
We wish to emphasize that the NCDMB led by Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe,
operates with the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and
due process in all its operations. All expenditures in the Board are
subjected to rigorous approval processes in accordance with the provisions
of the Public Procurement Act 2007, our enabling law, the Nigerian Oil and
Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) Act 2010 and other
relevant statutes and policies. The Board remains committed to upholding
the principles of good governance in line with its statutory mandate.
It is on account of our strict adherence to due process that the NCDMB
achieved remarkable milestones, including ranking first three consecutive
times in the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC)
Compliance Report in the Ease of Doing Business, Transparency and
Accountability among Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of
government in Nigeria. Additionally, the Board received the Nigeria
Govtech Award and the Distinguished Govtech Trailblazers Award from the
Bureau for Public Sector Reform (BPSR) for excellence in digital
governance and public sector innovation.
The NCDMB remains resolutely committed to its core mandate of building
local capacity and empowering Nigerians to participate effectively in the
Nigerian oil and gas industry. Our initiatives are aligned with the Renewed
Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, aimed at
empowering Nigerians and creating sustainable jobs.
We encourage members of the public and media houses to always verify
their sources of information before rushing to publish the ‘’so-called
exclusive report.’’ The NCDMB has an open and accessible corporate
communications team with verifiable addresses and contact details that if
the above referenced online platform had bothered to reach out to for
clarification, this undue sensationalism would not have happened. We
believe this is a hatchet job and thus avoided the time held journalism
practice of hearing the other side.
We assure the public that this malicious, false, and misleading publication
will not distract the Executive Secretary from his commitment to driving the
Board’s mission. The Executive Secretary remains steadfast in advancing
the goals of the organization and delivering on its mandate for the benefit of
all Nigerians.
