Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) have stepped up discussions on strategic collaboration to support NLNG’s planned overhaul and enhancement of key operational assets in Trains 1 to 6 of its Bonny Island plant.
This was disclosed in a joint statement issued on Thursday by Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development at NLNG, and Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications Division at NCDMB. According to both organisations, the engagement is geared towards boosting asset performance, reliability, and overall productivity.
The meeting took place during the Nigerian Content Stakeholders Retreat recently hosted at NLNG’s operational base in Finima, Bonny Island, Rivers State.
During the retreat, NLNG’s General Manager, Production, Nnamdi Anowi, presented details of the company’s upcoming revamp initiative known as the Accelerated Asset Intervention (AAI) programme. He explained that the exercise—which is scheduled to commence in 2026—will require NCDMB’s support and timely regulatory approvals to ensure seamless execution.
Anowi noted that the AAI programme will focus on major overhauls of the Trains and Common Facilities, which he described as central to NLNG’s operations.
“The goal is to implement predictive maintenance and consistently deliver sustainable top-quartile performance and reliability, continue to deliver gas and value to the country, and retain NLNG’s position as the best company in Nigeria,” he stated.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe—represented by the Director of Capacity Building, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele—assured NLNG of the Board’s full support. He emphasized NCDMB’s dual role as a regulator and business enabler, noting that the planned intervention aligns with the long-standing partnership between both organisations.
Ogbe recalled previous successful collaborations, including the development of the first Service Level Agreement (SLA) between a regulator and an operating company in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. He also highlighted NCDMB’s accelerated approvals for key components of the NLNG Train 7 Project, which allowed the project to take off in 2020 despite the global COVID-19 disruptions. According to him, the Board had also fast-tracked approvals for gas supply projects that will feed Train 7.
The Executive Secretary further urged NLNG to maximize Nigerian content in all planned contracts and fully deploy in-country capacities in line with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
At the Award Gala Dinner marking the close of the retreat, Ogbe commended NLNG for the significant progress achieved on Train 7, noting that the project now employs thousands of Nigerians and continues to make substantial contributions to the national economy.
Pioneer Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Dr. Ernest Nwapa, also praised NLNG’s longstanding leadership in local content development. He noted that NLNG distinguished itself early as an “icon of Nigerian Content” through its voluntary compliance initiatives. According to him, the company also pioneered the industry’s first skills gap analysis, providing valuable insights that have shaped policy direction and capacity-building efforts across the sector.
Nwapa equally lauded the NCDMB for its achievements in implementing the NOGICD Act, which he said has transformed the oil and gas industry’s approach to in-country value creation.
The event climaxed with the presentation of awards to outstanding companies and individuals for their contributions to Nigerian content development.
