The construction of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park in Emeyal 1, Bayelsa State, Nigeria is expected to be fully completed in the fourth quarter of next year. This is according to the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Simbi Wabote.
Wabote made the revelation after inspecting the construction work at the project site alongside other senior officers of the board, which is was vested with the mandate to make procedures that will guide, monitor, coordinate, and implement the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
The start of the construction works
The implementation of the project started with a ground-breaking ceremony back on April 27th, 2018. According to the NCDMB, the project has now reached about 68 percent completion, with four major structures nearly completed.
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“We did the ground-breaking ceremony in 2018 when we were practically inside water, however, today we are seeing structures coming up. We still have a long way to go because most of the buildings are getting to the finishing stages while some others are just getting started. But all the same, we believe that we will complete this project by Q4, 2022,” said the NCDMB boss.
Benefits of the park to the people and economy of Nigeria
Upon completion, the facility is expected to create a low-cost manufacturing hub that will produce equipment components and spare parts to be utilized in the nation’s oil and gas industry consequently reversing the current trend whereby the sector depended on importation for most of its finished products.
It will also save the much-needed foreign exchange for the West African nation and create jobs for the Nigerian people.
“The park will enhance our capacity and bring about technological innovations since most of those manufacturing will be done here. For the community, the park will create a lot of jobs and there will be a spin-off effect to other economic activities. The benefits are vast,” explained Wabote.
