Reps to summon NNPC over local content violation

A House of Representatives committee is to summon the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian Content Monitoring Board (NCMB) over allegations of violations of the local content law.
Also to be summoned are the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
The House, which took the decision at yesterday’s plenary after adopting a motion on the matter, mandated its committee on petroleum (downstream) to carry out a thorough investigation on the allegations.
Sponsor of the motion Rep Lovette Idisi (PDP, Delta) said the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Development Act enacted in 2010 was to ensure that all operators involved in any project in the industry consider Nigerian content as an important element of their overall project development and execution.
He noted however that there was a “perennial breach of section 3 of the Act that provides for the exclusive consideration of Nigerian independent operators who demonstrate ownership of equipment, employment of Nigerian personnel and capacity to execute such jobs, to be given the right of first refusal in the award of oil blocks, oil field licenses, oil lifting and in all projects for which contract is to be awarded in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”