By Pius Dukor, Port Harcourt
As the naira is depreciating due to lack of production of Nigerian goods and services, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote has said the commissioning of Heat Treatment Furnace and Dish Heads Forming Machines, newly acquired by MG VOWGAS LTD, a company based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, will raise foreign exchange and create employment opportunities for Nigerian youths and also boost Gross Domestic Product, (GDP) of the country.
Wabote make the remark in his keynote address during the commissioning of MG VOWGAS Heat Treatment Furnace and Dish Heads Forming Machines in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Local Content Development and Monitoring Board explained that before now fabrication of high magnitude work in oil and gas were done outside Nigeria, and this has overtime increased capital flight and reduced Nigeria’s foreign exchange.
He maintained that the event was remarkable because more jobs will be created, and there will be provision of top class marine services as it relates to construction, procurement, and installation.
He stated that these facilities were the biggest and the first in Nigeria and Africa, adding that the company was capable of breaking limitations, and provide solutions to other industries.
“They are also into facility revamping, turn around maintenance, maritime services among others” he said.
The Head of Nigerian Local Content Development and Monitoring Board expressed satisfaction as most highly fabricated work will now be done in the country, thereby saving foriegn currency.
He noted that very soon, the company will extend the facilities to other African countries but lamented the heavy politics in the oil and gas industry, which is detrimental to the Nigerian people.
In an interview shortly after the event, Wabote said the high cost of cooking gas in Nigeria was due to the growing need of gas but promised that with the construction of NLNG Train 7 in Bonny, the price of domestic gas will soon come down.
In his welcome speech, the Group Managing Director MG Vowgas, Mr. Godwin Izomor, said the commissioning marked a significant milestone in the company’s journey towards technological advancement and the cerebration of reaching 2 million man-hours without any Lost Time Incident (LTI).
He told the people that the Heat Treatment Furnace and Dish Heads Forming Machine represent a major stride in the company’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and the pursuit of cutting-edge technology and state of the art equipment.
He believes that with this singular equipment, they will be able to meet the growing demand of their value customers with even greater precision and efficiency. ” The Heat Treatment Furnace is designed to provide a controlled environment for heating and cooling various materials, ensuring optimal strength and excellent results, while adhering to the highest safety standards.
He specifically explained that the newly aquired Dish Heads Forming Machine caters to the production of large scale dish head components used in various industrial application, with advanced forming capabilities, characterize by unmatched precision, consistency, and speed using computer control technology noting the role and contribution of the Nigerian local content is part of the huge success.
Izomor commended the vision of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board headed by Engr. Simbi Wabote to support indigenous content development of oil and gas industry have been intrumental in promoting technological advancement and fostering the growth of local expertise.
Earlier, the General Manager Quality control of MG Vowgas Group Engr. Aniekwe John Emeka expressed happiness saying the newly acquired equipment will give a lot of wealth to Nigeria in terms of cost implications and utilization of the technology. ” Thus our fabrication machine will assist in both manufacturing and agricultural purposes.
He said in the past most machines are taking to South Korea fir fabrication and that alone take time and resources but this will now generate money and employment in Nigeria. ” I see us manufacturing this equipment here in Nigeria, we are now one step forward” he said.
“We have ISO standard, quality is very important to us the oil and gas sector, and safety is also critical in welding jobs and fabrication especially meeting international standard” he stated.
Highlights of the event was the presentation of safety certificate to staffs, documentary of the begging to the present day of the company and inspection and commissioning of the equipment. Many International and local oil and gas companies were in attendance including the Paramount Ruler of Woji community, Eze Emeka Ihuwo.
