Yenagoa, Bayelsa State – In a powerful declaration that resonated across the oil-rich Niger Delta and beyond, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring, Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, announced on Monday that the days when Nigerians merely watched their country’s vast petroleum wealth flow into foreign hands are decisively over.
Speaking at the opening of the 14th Annual Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) Forum in Yenagoa, the Delta South lawmaker told a packed audience of government officials, industry captains, international oil companies (IOCs), and local stakeholders that Nigerians will no longer be “bystanders” in their own economy.
“The era of paper compliance is gone forever,” Senator Joel-Onowakpo declared. “What we have seen for too long is tick-box obedience to the law while the substance is ignored. That ends now. The 10th National Assembly, under the leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio, is fully committed to measurable, verifiable, and sustainable Nigerian content.”
The senator was flanked by the Vice Chairman of the committee, Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central), and other distinguished members including Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Ali (Ogun West), and Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central). Their collective presence underscored the seriousness with which the upper chamber now treats the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010, Presidential Executive Order No. 5 of 2018, and the Nigeria First Policy introduced under the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
After more than sixty years of commercial oil production and fourteen years since the landmark NOGICD Act was signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria still struggles to translate legal provisions into tangible benefits for its citizens. Billions of dollars continue to leave the country through expatriate salaries, imported equipment, and services that could be provided locally.
Senator Joel-Onowakpo did not mince words as he described these gaps as “systemic failures” that have persisted for far too long.
“We are still lagging behind in fully realizing the aspirations of the Nigerian content policy,” he lamented. “But let me assure this gathering and the entire nation: the days of non-compliance are numbered. Nigerians will no longer be spectators. We will be owners, managers, technicians, engineers, and primary beneficiaries of the wealth beneath our soil.”
The senator anchored the renewed enforcement drive on three unassailable legal pillars:
- The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (2010), which mandates domiciliation of value-adding activities in Nigeria and progressive Nigerianisation of senior positions.
- Executive Order No. 5 (2018), signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari, which compels all ministries, departments, and agencies to give first consideration to Nigerian companies and professionals in the award of contracts, and requires foreign firms to submit verifiable plans for technology and skills transfer.
- The Nigeria First Policy of the Tinubu administration, which explicitly prioritises Nigerian goods, services, and manpower in public procurement and major projects.
Drawing attention to a particularly egregious violation, Senator Joel-Onowakpo cited Chevron Nigeria Limited, alleging that the American oil major intends to replace a retiring Nigerian procurement director with another expatriate.
“That is a direct affront to Section 28 of the NOGICD Act,” he said firmly. “The law is crystal clear: every operator must submit a succession plan showing how expatriate positions will be filled by qualified Nigerians within a maximum of four years. Replacing a Nigerian with another expatriate is not succession; it is perpetuation of foreign dominance. We will not accept it.”
He warned that the Senate Committee will invoke its full constitutional oversight powers – including summons, investigations, and sanctions – to ensure compliance across the board.
The senator also reminded operators of the mandatory provisions in Sections 35 to 39 of the Act, which require sustained investment in research and development, training, and human capacity building. “These are not suggestions,” he stressed. “They are enforceable obligations. Granting waivers left and right undermines our national interest and keeps our youth unemployed while foreign workers remit billions abroad.”
Executive Order No. 5, he explained, was designed precisely to curb capital flight, create millions of direct and indirect jobs, and stimulate the growth of indigenous small and medium-scale enterprises. “When Nigerian engineers fabricate vessels in Lagos, when Nigerian welders work on platforms off the coast of Bayelsa, when Nigerian lawyers draft contracts instead of firms in London or Houston – that is when the real dividends of oil reach ordinary citizens,” he said.
Beyond mere employment figures, the committee is placing equal emphasis on workforce welfare, occupational safety, fair remuneration, and continuous professional development. “Local content is not just about headcount,” Senator Joel-Onowakpo clarified. “It is about dignity, skills, safety, and sustainable livelihoods.”
In a direct appeal to International Oil Companies, National Oil Companies, and service providers, the chairman extended both a warning and an invitation.
“This is an affirmation of legislative resolve, but it is also an open hand of partnership,” he said. “We want you to succeed in Nigeria, but your success must be tied to Nigeria’s success. Align with the transparency, accountability, and capacity-building agenda of this government, and together we will create millions of meaningful jobs and build an oil and gas industry that truly belongs to Nigerians.”
The 14th Practical Nigerian Content Forum, organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) under the theme “Securing Investment, Strengthening Local Content, and Scaling Energy Production,” continues until Wednesday. Over the next two days, participants will dissect investment challenges, showcase indigenous technological breakthroughs, and chart a roadmap for achieving at least 70 per cent Nigerian content by 2030 – the long-elusive target first set over a decade ago.
As the oil and gas sector navigates the complexities of energy transition, divestments by some IOCs, and the push for cleaner production, the message from the Senate Committee is unambiguous: any company that wants to operate in Nigeria must place Nigerians at the centre of its operations.
For millions of young Nigerians who have grown up watching oil rigs dot their horizon while joblessness gnaws at their future, Senator Joel-Onowakpo’s words offered a rare moment of hope. The bystander era, he insisted, is finally drawing to a close.
