Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has declared that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has fully achieved the vision that inspired Nigeria’s local content policy and the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010.

Jonathan said the Board has transformed into a major business enabler, delivering tangible economic and social benefits to Nigeria and host communities while significantly increasing indigenous participation in the country’s oil and gas industry.

Speaking at a dialogue commemorating 70 years of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, the former President said he derived a deep sense of fulfillment from the progress recorded under the NCDMB since its establishment.

He recalled that the Nigerian Content policy was inspired by China’s industrial development model, noting that China became a major global petroleum player in 1959—just three years after crude oil was discovered in Otuabagi, Oloibiri District, now in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Jonathan explained that China’s remarkable industrial advancement highlighted the enormous economic losses Nigeria suffered for decades through its overwhelming dependence on foreign expertise, equipment, machinery, technology and production inputs in the petroleum sector.

He said the realization motivated efforts to establish a legal framework that would deliberately build indigenous capacity and ensure that more value generated by the oil and gas industry remained within the Nigerian economy.

Representing the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Barr. Esueme Dan Kikile, said the dialogue’s theme provided “a vital vantage point to evaluate our historical journey, analyze our current milestones, and chart an ambitious path for our energy future.”

He commended Jonathan for his decisive leadership in facilitating the passage of the NOGICD Act and the establishment of the NCDMB, describing both as landmark interventions that changed the trajectory of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

According to him, the Board has steadily pursued its statutory mandate of supervising, coordinating and monitoring compliance with local content requirements while deliberately building domestic capacity and ensuring that a substantial proportion of industry spending is retained within Nigeria.

He disclosed that local content participation has risen to 61 percent in 2026, from less than five percent in 2010, reflecting the growing capacity of Nigerian companies and professionals to execute critical oil and gas projects.

Kikile also highlighted the Board’s Human Capacity Development Initiative (HCDI), saying strict enforcement of the guidelines has compelled every major industry project to dedicate resources to training Nigerian engineers, geologists, technicians and seafarers.

He noted that the Board’s flagship 60-40 Graduate Training Model, alongside global technical certification programmes and specialized vocational training for host communities, has institutionalized a continuous pipeline of industry-ready professionals.

The NCDMB representative also outlined several flagship projects that have been completed or are under development to deepen industrialization and value retention in the Niger Delta.

These include the 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa, the Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre (OMRC), the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS) industrial parks at Emeyal I in Bayelsa State and Odukpani in Cross River State, and gas processing infrastructure in the Gbarain hub designed to provide reliable feedstock for industrial development across Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta.

Other strategic initiatives include the Polaku Gas Project Footprint, the Brass Shipyard, alignment with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Fertiliser Project, and the Back-to-the-Creek Initiative, which focuses on delivering development opportunities, empowerment and economic benefits directly to grassroots communities most affected by oil and gas operations.

According to him, by combining transformative infrastructure projects with human capital development and strategic investments in Bayelsa State, the Board is repositioning the birthplace of Nigeria’s oil industry from merely an extraction zone into a hub for commercial activity, technological advancement and industrial value retention.

Bayelsa State Governor Senator Douye Diri, represented by Deputy Governor Dr. Peter Akpe, said there could not have been a more appropriate venue for a dialogue reviewing 70 years of Nigeria’s petroleum industry than Bayelsa, where the country’s oil story began.

He also commended the organizers, De Mangrove Conversations, describing them as distinguished writers, researchers and professionals committed to preserving the history and future of the Niger Delta.

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by his Chief of Staff, Prince Johnson Erijo, urged stakeholders to continually meet the expectations of Nigerians by ensuring that host communities benefit meaningfully from the nation’s petroleum resources.

As the industry reflects on its progress over the past seven decades, he said leaders must renew their commitment to sustainable development and inclusive growth in oil-producing communities.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Julius Oworibo, said the dialogue should encourage participants to reflect on the industry’s journey, evaluate its achievements and chart a more beneficial future for oil-producing communities.

Delivering the keynote address, Professor Ibibia Lucky Worika of the Centre for Advanced Law Research at Rivers State University observed that oil has profoundly shaped Nigeria’s economy, politics, foreign relations and development over the last 70 years.

He, however, noted that the Niger Delta has disproportionately borne the environmental and social costs of petroleum exploitation, with many ecosystems suffering irreversible damage.

Worika stressed that environmental justice should no longer be viewed as a policy aspiration but as “a constitutional, moral and developmental imperative,” urging governments, industry operators and communities to pursue a more sustainable and equitable future for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.