By Emeka Ugwuanyi
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, on Tuesday received the Leadership Local Content Champion of the Year Award at the 14th Leadership Conference and Awards held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The award was presented to the Executive Secretary by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhalji Mohammed Musa Bello, at an event that was chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with former Kenyan Prime Minister, Mr. Raila Amolo Odinga, as the guest speaker.
Speaking after he received the award, the Executive Secretary dedicated it to the management and staff of the Board, whom he credited with delivering the sterling accomplishments that attracted the attention of the award adjudicating panel and other stakeholders. He said: “Every award is dedicated to the staff of NCDMB because they do the heavy lifting. My role is to provide direction and leadership. We have taken NCDMB to become the best agency in the country. We will continue to excel, and I hope the staff will continue to be proud of the organisation they belong to because it has been a rewarding journey and being recognised is also very exciting.”
Some of the reasons the Executive Secretary was selected for the award included completing the 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower within four years, raising the level of Nigerian Content performance in the Nigerian oil and gas industry from 26 percent in 2016 to 52 percent in 2022 and developing the Nigerian Content 10-year strategic roadmap, with the key target of achieving 70 percent Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry. The NCDMB under Engr. Wabote also established hubs in-country for manufacturing of equipment, components, and accessories required by the industry and for championing the promotion of local content across the African continent.
Other notable recognitions received by the Board recently included the conferment of the Distinguished Capacity Development Award conferred on the Executive Secretary by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2022 and the recognition accorded to NCDMB as the best among all Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the Executive Order (EO1) performance ranking for Ease of Doing Business from January to June 2022.
