The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) have disclosed that the Train 7 project has attained 90 per cent completion and generated about 16,000 direct jobs, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening local content development in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Both organisations also pledged to deepen their longstanding collaboration aimed at enhancing in-country value addition and boosting economic benefits from gas processing and marketing operations.

The renewed commitment was made during a courtesy visit by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Adeleye Falade, to the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, at the Board’s liaison office in Lagos.

Speaking during the visit, Falade said NLNG remained focused on deepening Nigerian Content, strengthening indigenous capacity and retaining greater value within the country across its gas value chain.

He disclosed that construction work on the Train 7 project had reached 90 per cent completion, with pre-commissioning activities already underway. According to him, the facility is expected to be commissioned in 2027 and will increase NLNG’s overall production capacity by 35 per cent.

Falade expressed satisfaction that the project had created direct employment opportunities for about 16,000 Nigerians, noting that the initiative had contributed to reducing insecurity while positively impacting the nation’s socio economic development.

He commended the strong partnership between NLNG and NCDMB, recalling that both organisations had jointly pioneered several initiatives that have benefited the oil and gas sector.

“NLNG values its relationship with NCDMB and remains fully committed to the shared goal of strengthening Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry. As a major player in Nigeria’s gas sector, we recognise our responsibility to support indigenous capacity, grow local supply chains and ensure that our activities continue to deliver meaningful value to the Nigerian economy,” he said.

Falade added that the company would sustain collaboration with the Board in key areas such as vendor development, skills enhancement, technology transfer, local procurement and value retention.

“Our commitment is to work closely with the Board in a manner that is deliberate, measurable and impactful. We want NLNG’s operations and partnerships to continue opening doors for Nigerian businesses, building competitive local capabilities and supporting the long-term growth of Nigeria’s gas industry,” he added.

Responding, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Ogbe, congratulated Falade on his appointment and assured him of the Board’s support towards the success of his tenure.

He noted that the relationship between NCDMB and NLNG had evolved beyond that of regulator and operator, recalling that both organisations signed the industry’s first Service Level Agreement (SLA) on Nigerian Content project approval timelines and compliance in June 2017.

Ogbe also urged NLNG to intensify support for the Brass Shipyard project, one of the capacity development initiatives linked to the Train 7 project. He commended the company’s collaboration with the Board on the project, which is expected to establish a dry dock facility that will serve both NLNG’s operational needs and the wider maritime and oil and gas sectors.

He expressed optimism that the project would be completed during the tenure of the current NLNG management, creating additional employment opportunities and stimulating infrastructural development.

A joint statement signed by NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, and NCDMB’s General Manager, Corporate Communications Division, Obinna Ezeobi, said the meeting formed part of NLNG’s broader engagement with key industry stakeholders.

The statement added that the visit reinforced the company’s commitment to sustained collaboration, local capacity development and the advancement of Nigerian Content across the oil and gas value chain.