Local content policy has created 30,000 jobs for Nigerians – Alison-Madueke

The implementation of the local content policy in the petroleum industry has created 30,000 jobs for Nigerians in the last 30 months, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, has said.

The minister stated this at a meeting of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Abuja on Thursday, a statement said.

The statement, issued by Mr Obinna Ezeobi, the Public Affairs Officer of NCDMB in Abuja on Tuesday, quoted the minister as saying, “just by insisting on using Nigerians in the industry, we have deepened the local supply chain.”

The minister said the jobs were generated in the engineering, fabrication, marine transportation, logistics and exploration and production sectors of the oil and gas industry, and expressed optimism that the job growth would be sustained.

“I have no doubt that more jobs will be created in 2013 and we shall achieve greater localisation of industry services, manufacturing and fabrication in 2013,” she said.

Alison-Madueke noted that the Nigerian content implementation had increased the level of participation of Nigerians in oil and gas contracts to 87 per cent.

“The board has to a large extent achieved consensus in most aspects of Nigerian Content implementation to the extent that there has been no major dispute amongst stakeholders on interpretation of provisions of the Nigerian Content Law.

“Stakeholders are also responding positively to the need to do things differently in the industry for the benefit of all. This clearly demonstrates that we have been carrying the industry along in the implementation of the Act,” she said. NAN