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Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe Executive Secretary |
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has issued a public alert regarding a group named the Coalition of Civil Society for Good Governance (CCSGG), which is spreading recycled and unfounded allegations against the agency.
This coalition is reportedly funded to disseminate misinformation, echoing claims previously made by Sahara Reporters.
In a press release dated February 13, NCDMB firmly rejected these baseless accusations, asserting that the board and its Executive Secretary did not spend the amounts cited in the allegations.
Furthermore, the NCDMB clarified that it recently conducted a Strategic Workshop with various government agencies to enhance collaboration on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010.
This workshop, held biennially, aims to ensure cohesive policy implementation across relevant institutions.
Despite NCDMB’s efforts to clarify these matters, the CCSGG has continued to engage journalists to propagate their misleading narrative, the press release further added.
The NCDMB however said it remains committed to transparency and accountability in its operations, emphasizing that all expenditures adhere strictly to due process and regulatory compliance.
Below is full text of the press statement:
“The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) wishes to alert the public that a sponsored group,CCSGG, masquerading as a coalition of civil society group for good governance are recycling the same bogus and unfounded allegations that were recently published against the operations of our agency by Sahara Reporters.
“While we have dismissed these patently false allegations in a widely circulated press statement on Thursday, February 13, titled “NCDMB OBSERVES THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND DUE PROCESS IN ITS OPERATIONS”, the purveyors of this evil campaign have gone ahead to recruit unsuspecting journalists across some national media to continue to peddle their lies.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to restate that:
“1. Neither the Board nor the Executive Secretary spent the amount stated in the headline of the referenced statement.
“2. NCDMB organised a Strategic Workshop with Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government that pertain to the oil and gas industry to interrogate and find areas of alignment in the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, in line with our Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap’s enabler on Stakeholder Collaboration and Engagement.
“The workshop is held every two years and involves the leadership and senior management of those critical agencies, with a view to ensuring a harmonious policy and regulatory implementation by all agencies and institutions connected with the NOGICD Act implementation.
“3. Due process was followed and that all expenditures in relation to this Strategic Workshop and other projects of the Board were made in accordance with approved financial and procurement guidelines.
“4. There was no such expenditure of N9.9 billion naira by the Board for consultancy services. It is instructive to note that this figure has moved from N7.7 billion to this new figure within a week by these fake groups masquerading as civil society groups.
“5. S.B Capital Partners & Advisory Limited, engaged by the Board since 2018, offers credit review services for theNCDMB Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCIF) with Bank of Industry.
“6. S.B Capital Partners & Advisory Limited credit review is todetermine economic viability and bankability of projects submitted to the Board through the Bank of Industry (BoI)on our Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCIF).
“7. The Board conducts all its operations within the highest levels of transparency, which is why we have for three consecutive years won the award from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) as the number one agency in transparency and efficiency amongst all federal ministries, departments and agencies.
“8. We urge the media and members of the public to completely disregard the concocted allegations by thesedesperate individuals, who are determined to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of the Board.
“9. We know the sources and sponsors of these attacks on the Board and in due time they would be revealed.
“Corporate Communications Department
Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).”
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