By Victor Ahiuma-Young
PETROLEUM and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has decried the care-free attitude of oil and gas companies operating in the country to the provisions of the Nigerian Content Development, NCD, Act 2010,  that deal with succession, capacity and empowerment plans for Nigerians.

The umbrella body for senior oil workers in the nation’s petroleum industry, said there is need to impress it on multinational, national and indigenous oil and gas companies to comply  with the provisions of the NCD Act 2010 that deal with succession, capacity and empowerment plans, with the reflection of allowable positions specified in percentage for expatriates in management and other positions.

Addressing members of PENGASSAN’s National Executive Council, NEC, in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Babatude Ogun, demanded the inclusion of  workers in the Petroleum industry in the Nigerian Content Monitoring Development Board

According to him: “With the commencement of the implementation of Nigerian Content Policy aimed at increasing the level of indigenous participation and technical capacity in order to domesticate high percentage of oil and gas operations in Nigeria, there is need to impress on all employers, both multinational, national and indigenous oil and gas companies to comply  with the provisions of the Nigerian Content Development Act 2010 that deal with Succession, Capacity and Empowerment Plans, with the reflection of allowable positions specified in percentage for expatriates in management and other positions.

To give room for proper monitoring of Nigerian Content Policy, we demand that we as workers in the Oil and Gas industry, should be included in the Nigerian Content Monitoring Development Board. In that way, we would be able to monitor effectiveness in the implementation of the policy.”

“Let me emphasize that we are obliged to ensure that this policy bring about necessary transfer of knowledge, technology and detailed engineering designs of importance to Nigeria and Nigerians in the Sector and this can only be achieved by our Branches ensuring that they are vigilant, monitor their various organization plans, programme and implementation and escalate to us any culpable act company.

We need to employ the services of experts in Oil and Gas policy to advise the Association on our responses to the NCD Act in relations to Expatriate Quota Registration and Renewal, beyond the managerial position in which 5% is conditionally stipulated, to other positions at middle-management, supervisory and projects, which some companies still flagrantly violated.

This will help us in monitoring the effective implementation of the Nigerian Content Development in achieving its goals. It will also help to determine which of the jobs that are given to the expatriates can be done by Nigerians who are experts on these fields.”

Comrade Ogun also reiterated oil workers concerns over perceived lack of  of transparency in the manner the National Assembly and the Executive arm of government were handling its legislative process.

He lamented that “various representations and letters have been made to the President, Dr. Goodluck  Jonathan that the National Assembly should publicize the authentic version of the Bill being processed as well as all amendments so far made on its website to promote transparency, accountability and ensure robust contributions from all stakeholders within the limit of the information on the contents of the Bill that the legislative is planning to pass.