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NCDMB Inaugurates 2nd batch of Project 100 Companies
Modupe ASUDO
Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote of the NCDMB
ABUJA-THE Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday inaugurated 40 companies as part of its Project 100 Supplier Development Programme.
The Board started Project 100 in January 2019 with 60 companies with the goal of nurturing 100 wholly owned oil and gas service providers, in a competitive and sustainable way through targeted interventions, into larger scale players that create high impact.
The Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote inaugurated the new batch of companies in a virtual event. He stated that the successful implementation of Project100 would increase contributions of the oil and gas sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), create job opportunities and access to market, increase industrialization opportunities, increase retention of industry spend and substitute imports in the industry.
He confirmed that the 40 new beneficiaries were selected from the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS) – the industry database of competencies which has 4,340 active service companies. 609 applications were received, out of which 40 companies got selected he said.
Wabote listed the benefits that would accrue to the new Project 100 companies to include bespoke development plans to improve critical business capabilities and access to market opportunities with oil and gas operators on industry projects. He also identified access to critical industry and operational insights, information and data and participation in local oil and gas opportunity fairs and strategic events and advocacy for policy recommendations that would unlock some of the challenges identified by the beneficiaries.
Other opportunities include technical and business performance improvement capacity programmes, collaboration with critical industry stakeholders for participation in relevant global oil and gas events, R&D collaboration, opportunity to benefit from the US$50m Nigerian Content R&D Fund and opportunity to access the US$350m NCI Fund, particularly the US$30 million Working Capital Product, for qualified organizations.
The NCDMB Chief Executive gave a scorecard of the implementation of Project 100 so far. He reported that the first 60 Beneficiaries have benefitted from key interventions, one of which is the successful inclusion of 46 beneficiaries in the supplier data base of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) and collaboration with a beneficiary on the setup of a technology solution Centre for Refinery and Petrochemicals.
The companies also benefitted from development and implementation of bespoke development plans to improve their critical business capabilities and attended several access to Market Workshop sessions with major oil and gas operators.
There was also sponsorship to oil and gas conferences in Nigeria and overseas, in addition to trainings on Subsea Systems and FPSO, Project Production Management and Business mentorship.
The General Manager, Research, Statistics and Development, NCDMB, Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu confirmed that the new 40 beneficiaries were selected through a transparent process run in two phases. He said the firms are wholly owned by Nigerians without international affiliations except for technical partnerships.
The primary service areas of the beneficiaries are fabrication and construction, well and drilling services, installation, hookup and commissioning, marine operations and logistics services and materials and procurement.
Other areas of their operation are inspection, testing and certification, feed, detailed engineering and other engineering services, Health, Safety and Environment and Surveying and Positioning Services.
Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Nik Odinuwe commended the NCDMB for sustaining the Project 100, describing it as noble initiative that can accelerate Local Content aspirations of government and other stakeholders. He appealed to the Board and other stakeholders to challenge, engage and expose the selected companies with real growth opportunities to ensure the success of the initiative. He also requested the Board to collaborate closely with PETAN in the implementation of Project 100.
The PETAN lead regretted that only few members of the association made the list of 40 companies and charged other member companies to follow the conditions listed by the Board to qualify for similar vendor development programmes.
Embattled Nigerian pastor and founder of SPAC Nation, Tobi Adegboyega, has defended his opulent lifestyle, claiming it serves to inspire young people rather than flaunt wealth.
This statement comes amid a UK Immigration Upper Tribunal ruling ordering his deportation over visa violations.
Adegboyega, 44, faced accusations of overstaying his visitor visa, which expired after he arrived in the UK in 2005.
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He had applied to remain in the country on human rights grounds. The tribunal, however, ruled against him, citing his failure to regularize his status.
The pastor’s luxurious lifestyle, including designer clothing and expensive cars, was a focal point of the case.
Addressing the tribunal, Adegboyega stated that his lifestyle is fully funded by his wife, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 annually at AON.
He said, “I live with my partner, Mary Olubukola Alade, who earns £100,000 per year working for AON. I spend my time working for the church, for which I am unpaid. I am entirely supported by Mary. I have a first-class law degree from Nigeria, but I have ‘sacrificed’ my legal career to help those who cannot help themselves.”
Defending his appearance, Adegboyega emphasized the importance of projecting success to his young congregation.
The court noted, “For instance, people have pointed to the fact that he wears designer clothing and drives expensive cars. He was adamant that all of his personal possessions had been paid for by Mary.
“He believes it is important for him to dress the way that he does because he needs to inspire these young people – they need to understand that there are legitimate ways of making money, for instance through entrepreneurship.”
Despite the ruling, Adegboyega dismissed the deportation concerns as insignificant.
“I’m right here at home, no cause for alarm. Naturally, I will dismiss things that have to do with retrogression; every Nigerian should be proud of me. Living in the UK, a city that is well known for pulling people down, I have survived all sorts, so the matter that they are propagating is the smallest matter,” he said.
He further expressed confidence in his resilience. “No panic, I love London city, it is my city, and nobody can do anything. Of all the people of colour you know here – pastors and leaders – I have survived everything. I’m here, I am at home, nobody should panic for me.
“I succeeded well in this country despite all challenges, and I’m in the league of people you look up to. I have survived that well; nothing has changed, nothing will change,” he added.
Amid the growing controversy surrounding the detention of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi, renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Aare Afe Babalola has publicly addressed the defamation allegations leveled against Farotimi.
The legal action stems from claims made in Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, which Babalola asserts contains false and defamatory statements about him and his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co.
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In a petition dated November 19 and submitted to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, Babalola accused Farotimi of making “criminally defamatory” statements about him, his law firm, and two senior lawyers at his firm, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro.
The defamatory remarks are tied to the Supreme Court case Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
Babalola revealed that the allegations came to light when one of his lawyers purchased Farotimi’s book while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport.
After reading the book, the lawyer immediately brought its contents to Babalola’s attention.
Other members of his firm reportedly did the same, prompting the senior lawyer to take legal action.
In his petition, Babalola pointed to specific passages in Farotimi’s book that accused him of corruption and unethical conduct. The petition reads:
“I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co., and my lawyers, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro, by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, published by Dele Farotimi Publishers, in respect of Suit No. SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors v. H.R.H. Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.
“Sometime on 2/11/2024, one of our lawyers, while traveling through Murtala Muhammed Airport, bought a book by Dele Farotimi titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’. He read the book and immediately brought it to my attention. Many of my lawyers also bought the book and read it.”
“The defamatory statements are as follows:
- That Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgment in the service of his client.
- That Aare Afe Babalola, Olu Daramola, Olu Faro, and the law offices of Afe Babalola & Co. (Emmanuel Chambers) compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had, when they went back to the Supreme Court and got the Court to swim in the sewer of corruption and shameful self-abnegation.”
Babalola strongly denies the allegations, claiming that they are false and damaging to both his personal reputation and the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary.
Nigerian author and activist Dele Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, has surged to bestseller status on Amazon amid a legal battle with prominent lawyer and businessman, Afe Babalola.
The controversy surrounding the book has captivated public attention, driving both online and offline demand.
The book, which critiques systemic corruption in Nigeria’s judiciary and highlights alleged misconduct by key legal figures, saw modest sales following its release in July 2024.
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However, Farotimi’s arrest on Tuesday, following a petition filed by the 93-year-old Babalola, triggered a wave of public curiosity.
By Thursday evening, it had climbed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller rankings, according to checks by Vanguard. Bookstores across Nigeria also reported a significant uptick in demand.
Biztellers reports that Farotimi was detained in Lagos by armed police officers and transported to Ado Ekiti, about 300 kilometers northeast of the city, where Babalola is based.
The senior lawyer alleged that the book accused him of compromising Nigeria’s judiciary—a claim that has sparked heated debates about freedom of speech and accountability in the legal profession.
On Wednesday, Farotimi was arraigned in an Ekiti court, where the judge ordered his remand pending a bail hearing scheduled for December 10.
Farotimi’s legal team has vowed to contest the charges, framing the case as an attack on intellectual freedom.
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