By Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has engaged Student Union Government (SUG) leaders from tertiary institutions across Bayelsa State in an interactive sensitisation workshop on local content development and youth opportunities. The session, held at the Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa, focused on deepening students’ understanding of the Board’s mandate under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010 and highlighting its ongoing investments and projects in the state.Student representatives from Bayelsa Medical University, Federal University Otuoke, University of Africa Toru-Orua, Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro College of Education, Bayelsa State College of Health Sciences, National Open University Yenagoa Study Centre, the International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, and several others were in attendance.
Speaking on “The Role of the Student Community in the Sustainable Development of Bayelsa State,” the General Manager, Human Capital Development, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile, encouraged the students to emulate renowned youth activists such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Major Isaac Adaka Boro and Malala Yousafzai.
He urged them to become catalysts for positive change, stressing the importance of resilience, sacrifice and personal responsibility.Kikile also outlined several NCDMB programmes designed to build capacity among Nigerian youths. These include the newly introduced Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), an eight-month national engineering innovation and entrepreneurship competition for final-year undergraduates and postgraduates. Applications close on January 11, 2026, and the top prize, he noted, rivals that of Nigeria’s biggest reality TV competition.Other interventions include upcoming industrial training placements for undergraduates with oil and gas service companies, a three-year graduate internship with Renaissance Africa Energy Limited, and the Oil and Gas Field Readiness Training Programme aimed at equipping 10,000 youths with high-demand skills for major upcoming industry projects.General Manager, Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, explained how the NOGICD Act has strengthened Nigeria’s local capacity by reducing capital flight and creating jobs in the oil and gas sector.
He highlighted NCDMB’s flagship projects in Bayelsa, including the 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower; the 80 per cent completed NCDMB Conference Hotel, billed to be the state’s first five-star hotel; the 10 MW Elebele power plant powering the Tower and Government House; the Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks Scheme (NOGaPS) in Emeyal; and the Oloibiri Oil and Gas Museum and Research Centre currently under construction.Advanced discussions on the Brass Shipyard project—expected to support the NLNG Train-7 project—were also mentioned.Dr. Ezeobi appealed to students and host communities to embrace dialogue as a means of resolving grievances, noting that disruptions negatively impact investor confidence and slow developmental projects.
During the interactive segment, students raised questions concerning registration on the NOGIC Joint Qualification System (JQS), prospects for non-engineering graduates, the NCDMB organisational structure, and concerns over the poor access road leading to the Oloibiri Museum project site.In his closing remarks, Corporate Communications Supervisor, Mr. Teleola Oyeleke, commended the participants for their enthusiasm. He encouraged them to broaden their knowledge base, advising: “Know something about everything and everything about something.”
