MG Vowgas builds Air Boat with local content

An indigenous firm, MG Vowgas Limited, has continued to receive accolades over the award it clinched at the just concluded Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS). The firm won the award in the ‘Local Content Company of the Year’ category, which was contested by many companies doing business in the country. The award came on the […]

An indigenous firm, MG Vowgas Limited, has continued to receive accolades over the award it clinched at the just concluded Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS).

The firm won the award in the ‘Local Content Company of the Year’ category, which was contested by many companies doing business in the country.

The award came on the heels of its building a specialised air boat that has the capability to move on land and on water.

Called air ballistic boat, the river craft has features that can be fitted with arms and ammunition that can fire in any military operation on land or sea.

The engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) firm, which is the operator of the Mount Zion Fabrication Yard located in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, was lauded for the strides it has made since it started operation over a decade ago.

One of the players in the oil, gas and maritime industries, Mr Lawrence Nwachukwu, told our correspondent that indigenous companies like MG Vowgas Limited should be encouraged by the government to meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Nwachukwu, who has been operating in the oil and gas industry and the maritime sector of the economy for many years, argued that if indigenous firms were supported by the government and its agencies, they would be in a position to provide the much-needed employment opportunities for many Nigerians presently roaming the streets for non-existing jobs.

“If in its own little way, this company can do this, imagine what it will do if it is given the desired support by the government. I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that not only MG Vowgas Limited but other firms would be in a position to address the numerous challenges posed by unemployment in the country. It will also address the issue of insecurity in the country.

“This is due to the fact that anyone who is fully engaged in any meaningful venture will not be readily available for insurgency, banditry, terrorism or any other form of criminal activities in the
country. That is why I am of the view that the government should do everything possible to build indigenous capacity in all sectors of the economy, especially in the oil and gas industry, as well as in the maritime sector of the economy,” he added.

Already, the firm has expressed its readiness to partner with the Nigeria Army to produce some of the equipment the military presently procures from overseas in its operations.

The Group Managing Director of MG Vowgas Limited, Mr Godwin Izomor, told journalists during a tour of the company’s facilities in Port Harcourt recently that the firm had what it takes to deliver on its mandate, particularly in the production of the much-needed specialised
equipment for the military.