Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa has reiterated the need for oil companies to obey the Local Content Act by relocating their operational headquarters to producing states across the country.
Dickson made the call on Wednesday in Yenagoa at the 8th Practical Nigerian Content Forum tagged, “Driving Economic Development and Sustainability.”
The annual programme was sponsored by the State Government, the Nigerian Content Monitoring and Development Board (NCMDB) among others.
The governor explained that relocating their headquarters to producing states would go a long way in strengthening the Nigerian content in the oil and gas sector.
“The idea of local content is a great one, and we should not let it down. We are grateful that the Federal Government created the NCMDB with its headquartres in Bayelsa where the story of oil and gas started.
“However, we frown at the current situation where most of these mega deals are concluded in faraway places.
“When you talk of local content, we have to be completely local. It means oil producing companies have to stay here, open their offices and interface more directly and robustly with the communities, state government and the NCMDB.
“Just like Houston in U.S, is the oil and gas capital of the world, we tell everybody whether they like to hear it or not, that Bayelsa is the oil and gas capital of Nigeria and of Africa.
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“So, we are always appreciative when major conferences and seminars like this take place in here because we take it as a recognition of our historic contribution. We thank you for bringing back this Practical Nigerian Content seminar to the state,” Dickson said.
Mr Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary, NCMDB said the programme was a welcome development to deliberate on issues that could boost the nation’s local contents in the oil and gas industry.
Wabote, however assured that the board would relocate to its 17-storey headquarters office in Yenagoa in the first quarter of 2019