By Amgbare Prince, Yenagoa
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has announced that the award ceremony for the 2025 Annual National Undergraduate Essay Competition will take place on November 14 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, marking the conclusion of a nationwide contest promoting local content in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Themed “Sustaining Local Content Policies in the Transitioning Oil and Gas Industry,” the competition attracted hundreds of entries from undergraduates in public and private tertiary institutions across the country.
According to the NCDMB, the initiative aims to foster academic excellence, critical thinking, and innovation to support sustainable growth in the nation’s oil and gas sector.
“Following a rigorous evaluation process, ten finalists were selected and will travel to Yenagoa for a final interactive assessment with a panel of academics drawn from Nigerian universities to determine the final rankings,” the Board stated.
The first-place winner will receive a N1 million cash prize, while all ten finalists will be awarded brand-new laptops to enhance their academic performance and digital learning skills.
Speaking on the broader impact of the competition, Eyinimi Omorozi, an NCDMB consultant and competition coordinator, emphasized that the program has become a strategic platform for nurturing young Nigerian talents and strengthening the nation’s local content agenda.
“This program equips young Nigerians with the tools to engage critically with the industry and uphold local content goals,” Omorozi noted.
He added that the competition has consistently inspired creativity, innovation, and leadership among undergraduates, contributing to the advancement of Nigeria’s energy sector.
Since its inception, the NCDMB Essay Competition has remained a cornerstone of the Board’s youth empowerment and talent development initiatives, offering students an opportunity to participate in national discourse on energy transition and policy implementation.
The upcoming award ceremony in Yenagoa will celebrate the achievements of outstanding students and reaffirm NCDMB’s commitment to investing in youth development as a means of driving national growth and industrial transformation.
The event is also expected to draw participation from academia, industry stakeholders, and government representatives, highlighting the Board’s ongoing efforts to promote local participation and sustainability in the oil and gas industry.
