By Tony Okafor, Awka
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has urged journalists in Anambra State to intensify coverage of local content activities in the oil and gas industry to enable residents to benefit from opportunities in the sector.
The board also charged the media to hold oil and gas operators accountable for compliance with Nigerian content requirements.
The General Manager, Corporate Communications of NCDMB, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, made the call on Thursday at the Nigerian Content Media Stakeholders Workshop for Editors and Journalists in Anambra State, held at Golden Tulip Hotel, Awka.
Ezeobi said Anambra was an important location for the workshop because it was recognised as an oil-producing state and ranked second among oil-producing states in the Southeast, with an estimated production capacity of 3,000 barrels per day.
He noted that the state was also home to prominent indigenous oil and gas companies, including OilServ and Nestoil, stressing the need for journalists to understand the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act and the board’s programmes.
According to him, greater awareness of the law and its implementation would help expose Anambra residents to business and employment opportunities in the oil and gas value chain.
The general manager explained that the workshop was part of the board’s stakeholder engagement initiatives designed to improve public understanding of its mandate, programmes and opportunities under the Nigerian content policy.
He said the NCDMB had regarded the media as a strategic partner since the enactment of the NOGICD Act in 2010, adding that journalists had contributed significantly to promoting local content as a national development agenda.
Ezeobi said the board’s engagement with the media was also intended to strengthen journalists’ professional capacity and improve the depth and quality of reporting on technical issues in the oil and gas industry.
He explained that Nigerian content was aimed at developing local human and material resources, strengthening indigenous businesses, improving the technical capacity of Nigerian professionals and retaining more economic value within the country.
He added that the policy was designed to ensure that Nigerian companies could compete effectively in providing goods and services to the oil and gas industry while expanding the country’s manufacturing and industrial capacity.
On the role of the media, Ezeobi said journalists had a responsibility to set the public agenda by drawing attention to issues requiring intervention, explaining government policies and informing Nigerians about opportunities within the sector.
He urged participants to use the workshop to deepen their understanding of local content, ask critical questions and share experiences that could improve reporting of the industry.
The workshop featured presentations on the NCDMB’s mandate, programmes and achievements, as well as discussions on Nigerian content and community development.
Participants were also expected to examine how journalists could produce impactful stories on the oil and gas industry and build purpose-driven careers.
Ezeobi said the board hoped the engagement would strengthen its relationship with the Anambra media, improve the quality of local content reporting and promote greater public participation in the sector.
