Adewumi Ademiju
Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has called for improved local content in order to strengthen the nation’s industrial base and diversify the economy.
The former President however commended the progress recorded in indigenous participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry
He added that during his administration, he signed the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act into law, providing a strong legal framework for increased indigenous participation, technology transfer, job creation, and the growth of Nigerian businesses across the oil and gas value chain.
The former President spoke while chairing the inaugural Sweet Crude Dialogue, organised by De Mangrove Conversations in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The event was held under the theme: “Through the Python’s Eyes: 70 Years of Oil and Gas Production in Nigeria”.
According to a statement by Jonathan’s aide: Ikechukwu Eze, the former President expressed satisfaction with the progress made in building local capacity in the petroleum industry, noting that his administration was deliberate in ensuring that Nigerians became active participants rather than passive observers in the country’s most strategic economic sector.
“I am particularly pleased that Nigeria has made progress in developing local capacity within the petroleum industry.
“During my administration, we remained committed to ensuring that Nigerians became active participants rather than passive observers in this strategic sector,” he said.
Speaking on the future of the industry, Jonathan urged Nigeria to leverage its hydrocarbon resources to build a diversified and resilient economy in the face of the global energy transition. Jonathan recalled that his conviction about local content was shaped years before he became President.
He recounted that during an official visit to China while serving as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, he visited the country’s oil museum and was informed that virtually all equipment used in China’s petroleum industry was manufactured locally.
He noted the irony that although Nigeria discovered oil in 1956, two years before China’s first commercial oil discovery in 1958, the country continued to import most of the equipment and consumables required by its oil and gas industry.
According to him, that experience reinforced his determination to prioritise the local content law upon assuming office as President.