Content Board to meet oil firm over expatriate quota

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has said it has commenced findings into the allegations of Expatriate quota abuse by the management of Sterling oil as alleged  by the leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). The Executive secretary of NCDMB, Engineer Felix Ogbe disclosed this at […]

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has said it has commenced findings into the allegations of Expatriate quota abuse by the management of Sterling oil as alleged  by the leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

The Executive secretary of NCDMB, Engineer Felix Ogbe disclosed this at a press briefing to announce its readiness for the 5th edition of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) 2025.

It would be recalled that PENGASSAN had on Tuesday declared that it would totally paralyse the operations of Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited if it doesn’t address the exclusion of Nigerians among its workforce.

President of PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo alleged that the company currently employs over 10,000 Indian workers in various roles, including jobs such as cooks, panel operators, and communication officers, positions that do not require expatriate expertise. 

He accused government agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, of failing to enforce regulations that restrict expatriate employment in the oil and gas sector.

Reacting to the ultimatum, Engr. Ogbe said: “NCDMB is on top of this issue. We issued a quota in 2023 to this company, and the number they exceeded has been monitored and  our monitoring team has a scheduled meeting with them this week. I think about tomorrow (Today). So they’re going to tell us who approved that extra quota to them.

“In our records, we know the number we gave to them and that number will be monitored over the years. So if they exceeded, we’re going to know.

“We normally send people to the field to check. And that’s the meeting we have with them on Thursday. So, I would say let us wait until Thursday to enable us to really know the truth about the situation with the company.”

Speaking on Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF), Ogbe said the 5th edition is scheduled to hold on 21st and 22nd of May 2025 in Bayelsa State with delegate registration billed to start on the 20th of May 2025.

The event will also host the Champions of Nigerian Content Awards on the sidelines which will celebrate individuals and companies that have made significant contributions to the development of Nigerian Content.

The theme for this edition is – “Driving Investment and Production Growth: Shaping a sustainable Oil and Gas Industry through Indigenous Capacity Development.”

The ES said NOGOF provides opportunities for companies in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors to showcase their upcoming projects.  

“The aim is to achieve our national aspirations of increasing gas and crude oil production, boost revenue, and meet domestic crude oil and gas supply obligations,” he said.