By David Owei, Yenagoa.

As the Federal Government intensifies efforts to attract new oil and gas investments, spur speedy development of fields and ensure reduction in the cost of production, Marconi.NG EPC Limited (Marconi), positioning itself as one the leading oil and gas service companies in West Africa, has pledged cost competitive and speedy delivery of projects and opportunities.The company made the commitment on Wednesday when officials of the Corporate Communications Division of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) led select journalists on a tour of some Port Harcourt-based oil and gas companies.Marconi, which is a wholly Nigerian entity acquired the assets of Saipem Contracting Nigeria’s Rumuolumeni Yard in May 2025.

Speaking during the tour, the Chief Executive Officer of Marconi, Mr. Gian Fabio Del Cioppo explained that the company’s yard covers more than 1,000,000 square meters, includes a 330-meter jetty, and has the capacity to fabricate over 25,000 tons of heavy structures per year. He added that the facility is one the leading yard in the country with assets and organisational capability to execute fabrication and other services for complex capital EPC projects, both onshore and offshore.

He emphasised that the company possesses the equipment, technical capacity, legacy and human capabilities to deliver the highest quality of work in the industry at competitive costs and schedule, aligned with the Presidential Directives on Local Content and the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010.He appealed to the Government and oil industry stakeholders to be steadfast with the implementation of the NOGICD Act, insisting that Marconi is well positioned to support national goals, while contributing significantly to job creation and economic growth. He underscored the benefits of local content to the economy and urged Government to resist pressures to roll back the progress that had been achieved in local content implementation in the last 15 years. Conducting the journalists round the facility, Nigerian Content Manager of Marconi, Dr. David Editang, explained that the new owners retained the services of local experts who operated the facility for decades prior to the acquisition of the facility.He noted that the facility has the capacity to fabricate, store and load out completed project structures through three of its jetties.

Recently, Marconi, marked the First Steel Cutting Ceremony for some subsea structures for one of the major offshore projects currently being executed in Nigeria. The facility also played a significant role in the execution and construction of several notable projects in the past including Egina, Usan, Akpo, Train 7, among many others.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications Division (CCD) of the NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, led other NCDMB personnel and a host of journalists on the facility tour.He noted that Marconi is now well positioned to operate across the the oil and gas value chain, from land, swamp and shallow waters to deep sea offshore.

Giving reasons for the tour, Dr. Ezeobi said, “As we showcase the companies, we are achieving our mandate as set out in Sections 67 and 70 (n) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.” These Sections mandate the NCDMB to promote Nigerian Content through communication and stakeholder engagement and also outlines the Board’s functions which include capacity building. He explained that media practitioners are critical stakeholders in the implementation of the NOGICD Act.

According to him, “We want the media to better understand how the oil and gas industry works; we want to deepen our relationship, and to build the capacity of media stakeholders in reportage.”He also noted that the NCDMB had established sustainable relationships with media stakeholders in different parts of the Country, and organises annual engagements in Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja.

By David Owei, Yenagoa.

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited and First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited (First E&P) recently launched the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), an engineering competition aimed at addressing at inspiring engineering students to develop innovative projects that will solve societal problems.

The project is championed by Enactus Nigeria and has the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) as key partner.Explaining the concept, Country Director of Enactus Nigeria, Michael Ajayi, stated that the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad will inspire final-year, and postgraduate engineering students to envision and build a self-reliant Nigeria driven by knowledge, innovation, and collaboration.

“The Nigerian Engineering Olympiad embodies our belief that innovation must be nurtured where it begins, in the minds of young engineers.” He added that “by connecting academic creativity with industry realities, NEO provides the bridge that transforms knowledge into impact, and ideas into enterprise.”

In his remarks the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the programme’s theme, “Inspiring Engineering Solutions,” aligns perfectly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Nigeria First” policy.

Engr. Ogbe highlighted that, despite Nigeria’s large population offering immense potential, the engineering sector continues to grapple with a critical skills gap. He noted a negligible percentage of engineering graduates are considered industry-ready upon graduation.

He warned that this deficit has far-reaching implications, including a shortage of competent local engineers, over-reliance on expatriates, and an accelerating brain drain.

Represented by the Director of Capacity Building, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, the NCDMB boss explained that the Olympiad complements the agency’s human capacity development initiatives, which have trained young Nigerians in petroleum engineering, digital technology, robotics, and other advanced fields.

“Our goal is to institutionalise an annual national platform that identifies, nurtures, and supports exceptional engineering talent while connecting participants to industry mentorship and commercialisation pathways,” he stated.

He added that the Board is equally committed to strengthening entrepreneurial and leadership skills to enable young engineers to thrive in the workforce or launch technology-driven enterprises.

The Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande, who was represented by Ms. Ebiho Agun, described the creativity and ingenuity of Nigerian youth as one of the country’s greatest assets in a world increasingly driven by science, innovation, and problem-solving.

She noted that the Olympiad provides a vital platform for young Nigerians to expand their imagination, deepen technical expertise, and showcase excellence both locally and internationally.

Addressing the students as “the heartbeat of Nigeria’s future,” she urged participants to view the competition as an opportunity for learning, discovery, and career advancement, while reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to expanding programmes that foster youth creativity, skills development, and mentorship.

The General Manager, Integrated Gas at First E&P, Engr. Yetunde Taiwo, said the company’s participation reflects its core values of nurturing talent, innovation, and entrepreneurship. While First E&P has long supported education at the secondary-school level, she explained, the Olympiad offers a unique opportunity to engage university-level engineering students and expose them to real-world industry challenges.

Expressing concern over the growing brain drain, Taiwo noted that many graduates emigrate due to limited opportunities to apply their skills locally. She emphasised that initiatives like the Olympiad, supported by strong government-industry collaboration, can create sustainable career pathways, help retain talent, and reassure young engineers that viable opportunities exist within Nigeria’s energy sector.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, represented by Engr. Amino Hamisu, hailed the Olympiad as a landmark step toward strengthening engineering excellence and advancing national technological development.

In her keynote address, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Margaret Aina Ogunsola, described the Olympiad as a “watershed moment” in bridging the gap between academia and industry.

She called it a national innovation incubator designed to transform final-year engineering projects into commercially viable products through structured mentorship, prototype development, and intellectual property support.

She confirmed that NSE will provide expert guidance to ensure students’ innovations meet global standards.How the Olympiad Will OperateApplications opened on 20 November 2025 and will close on 11 January 2026.The competition will proceed as follows:-Screening Level 1 – Intra-school competition, one winner per schoolFollowing submission, selected teams will receive technical mentorship and access to development resources to refine their concepts into prototypes.

Screening Level 2 – Regional inter-school contests, 5 schools will qualify per region – each team showcasing innovation aligned with national priorities.- 30 teams will emerge in total, 5 per region and they will advance to a mentorship and prototyping phase.

The teams will receive funding and technical mentorship to develop their Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). Screening Level 3 –Twelve (12) teams will advance to the semi-finals – 2 teams per region will go into an intensive mentorship and business development boot camp for prototype refinementScreening Level 4 –The Olympiad will culminate in a national grand finale, where four winners will emerge as the top innovations. Grand finale, is scheduled for 11 April 2026.

By Our Correspondent

The Senate Tuesday through its committee on Public Accounts , rejected written explanations forwarded to it by management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited ( NNPCL) on unaccounted N210trillion from 2017 to 2023.

The Committee headed by Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed ( Nasarawa West) had on the strength of 19 different queries raised against NNPCL by Office of the Auditor – General of the Federation in the financial reports of 2017 to 2023 , directed NNPCL to account for N210trillion financial infraction as contained in the reports .

Though the management of NNPCL in line with the directive, responded to the 19 queries through written explanations but failed to physically appear before the Committee on Tuesday ( November 11, 2025) as earlier suggested and agreed .

Irked by the development , the committee through its Chairman at the session , slammed the Group Chief Executive Officer ( GCEO) of NNPCL, Engineer Bayo Ojulari for offensive evasiveness which according to him, will not make the committed recognise any representation from NNPCL again ,

He said : ” Today, November 11, 2025, was a date chosen by NNPC. it is rather unfortunate that none of the officials of NNPC is here on a date they themselves chose.”

“The public has been waiting for this. It is important that we keep Nigerians informed. Even though we cannot conclude today in the absence of NNPC officials, the committee must share our findings based on the responses already submitted by NNPC.”

He revealed that NNPC’s financial submissions raised serious red flags — particularly claims of ₦103 trillion in accrued expenses and ₦107 trillion in receivables, totaling ₦210 trillion between 2017 and 2023.

“NNPC claimed ₦103 trillion as accrued expenses and ₦107 trillion as receivables — amounting to ₦210 trillion. On question eight, NNPC’s explanation on the ₦107 trillion receivables — equivalent to about $117 billion — contradicts available facts and evidence provided by NNPC itself. The committee is duty-bound to reject this”, he said

He further questioned how NNPC could pay ₦103 trillion in cash calls to joint venture partners in 2023 alone, despite generating only ₦24 trillion in crude revenue between 2017 and 2022.

> “Cash call arrangements were abolished in 2016 under the Buhari administration. How can NNPC claim to have paid ₦103 trillion in one year, when it only generated ₦24 trillion in revenue over five years? Where did NNPC get that money?

“As far as this committee is concerned, that figure is unjustifiable and unacceptable. The ₦103 trillion must be returned to the Treasury. This will be concluded when NNPC appears before us.”

He added that the committee also outrightly rejected the ₦107 Trillion receivables which stand for assets in accounting.

“NNPC claimed of ₦107 trillion as receivables — part of which they said was held in defunct banks. However, no bank or amount was named.

“This lack of transparency is unacceptable. By the time you combine both figures — ₦103 trillion and ₦107 trillion — NNPC must account for ₦210 trillion.

“If the present management of NNPC is finding it difficult to provide acceptable answers, it is better they say so. The committee will not hesitate to subpoena former officials of NNPC and NAPIMS.

“NAPIMS, by law, is a department under NNPCL and cannot maintain an independent account. Yet, NAPIMS has been operating as if it were a separate entity”, he stressed .

He warned that any future absence of NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) before the committee would no longer be tolerated.

> “At any point this committee invites NNPC, the Chief Executive must appear in person. Being out of the country will no longer be accepted as an excuse. The next invitation will require the GCEO’s physical presence.”

In their separate remarks , all members of the committee present at the session , supported the decisions announced by the Chairman .