THE quest to further strengthen local participation in the oil and gas
industry has been described as a veritable tool to tackling the growing
unemployment in the country.
The Group Managing Director, Arco Group, Alfred Okoigun, who emphasized this as at a dinner of the just concluded oil and gas conference in Abuja, said the Federal Government has a critical role to play in the quest to boost local content in the sector, as well as ensuring strict adherence to the provisions of the Act.
Okoigun, who expressed his displeasure about the slow pace of integrating the indigenous players in the sector, urged the government and private sector to be geared towards the laudable objective.
Making reference to Royal Dutch Shell Group’s role in growing local capacity in Malaysia, he said this can be replicated in Nigeria, with requisite political will.
“If Shell had done such a wonderful job in Malaysia, why was that kind of endeavour not replicated in Nigeria? Could it be that the Malaysians acquired the skills due to the concern of their government in the exploitation of their natural resources? Or was it because Malaysia had stable government over a long period of time and so the government was focused on ensuring that the citizens of the country reaped the benefits of the collaboration with Shell?”
“Conversely, Nigeria was during the period facing intermittent changes of government under the military era and so the country must have lost an opportunity that Malaysia exploited with her stability. It would appear then that as long as the oil majors paid their taxes and carried out other statutory responsibilities, they felt fulfilled.
“The government should have been doing more at that time. If they had done so, maybe Nigeria would have been exporting locals as experts to other countries by now. As it is today, we are still struggling to grow local capacities in the oil and gas industry, an achievement that had been recorded in other parts of the world,” he said.
The Arco boss applauded the Federal Government for initiating the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Development Law in 2010, and urged Nigerians to take advantage of the law to grow Nigerian companies to be viable participants in the industry.
He made a reference of his company, Arco Group that has been working with Total towards the realization of the objectives of the Law. “Our relationships with other oil majors are showing signs along the same direction. I would like to appeal to all concerned to recognise the changing trends in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and facilitate it instead of looking for loopholes to circumvent it.
“The key players in the industry owe us an obligation in Nigeria to take advantage of the law to grow Nigerian companies to be viable participants in the industry even at this late hour. I am not saying that they should be philanthropic to a fault. All I am saying is that beyond making money, there must be legacy to boast of like the Shell example in Malaysia. I make this case, not just for Arco, but for other wholly Nigerian companies operating in the oil and gas industry. I am of the opinion that the changes taking place now can encourage other Nigerians investors to come into the business to boost employment of our youths,” he added.
guardiannews.com
The Group Managing Director, Arco Group, Alfred Okoigun, who emphasized this as at a dinner of the just concluded oil and gas conference in Abuja, said the Federal Government has a critical role to play in the quest to boost local content in the sector, as well as ensuring strict adherence to the provisions of the Act.
Okoigun, who expressed his displeasure about the slow pace of integrating the indigenous players in the sector, urged the government and private sector to be geared towards the laudable objective.
Making reference to Royal Dutch Shell Group’s role in growing local capacity in Malaysia, he said this can be replicated in Nigeria, with requisite political will.
“If Shell had done such a wonderful job in Malaysia, why was that kind of endeavour not replicated in Nigeria? Could it be that the Malaysians acquired the skills due to the concern of their government in the exploitation of their natural resources? Or was it because Malaysia had stable government over a long period of time and so the government was focused on ensuring that the citizens of the country reaped the benefits of the collaboration with Shell?”
“Conversely, Nigeria was during the period facing intermittent changes of government under the military era and so the country must have lost an opportunity that Malaysia exploited with her stability. It would appear then that as long as the oil majors paid their taxes and carried out other statutory responsibilities, they felt fulfilled.
“The government should have been doing more at that time. If they had done so, maybe Nigeria would have been exporting locals as experts to other countries by now. As it is today, we are still struggling to grow local capacities in the oil and gas industry, an achievement that had been recorded in other parts of the world,” he said.
The Arco boss applauded the Federal Government for initiating the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Development Law in 2010, and urged Nigerians to take advantage of the law to grow Nigerian companies to be viable participants in the industry.
He made a reference of his company, Arco Group that has been working with Total towards the realization of the objectives of the Law. “Our relationships with other oil majors are showing signs along the same direction. I would like to appeal to all concerned to recognise the changing trends in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and facilitate it instead of looking for loopholes to circumvent it.
“The key players in the industry owe us an obligation in Nigeria to take advantage of the law to grow Nigerian companies to be viable participants in the industry even at this late hour. I am not saying that they should be philanthropic to a fault. All I am saying is that beyond making money, there must be legacy to boast of like the Shell example in Malaysia. I make this case, not just for Arco, but for other wholly Nigerian companies operating in the oil and gas industry. I am of the opinion that the changes taking place now can encourage other Nigerians investors to come into the business to boost employment of our youths,” he added.
guardiannews.com