Yemisi Yemisi
Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) was on Saturday in Lagos honoured as the Transformational Business Leader in Public Sector in 2019 by the BusinessDay Nigerian Business Leadership Awards.
The NCDMB was also recognized as the Government Agency of the Year for Enabling Business.
The awards review committee stated that the Executive Secretary was providing exemplary leadership at the NCDMB and had spearheaded several initiatives which are helping to create a conducive environment for the private sector to thrive. It added that the award celebrates ”a public officer under whose inspirational leadership new opportunities for domestic prosperity are being unlocked.”
Receiving the awards, Wabote thanked the management of BusinessDay and the Awards Review Committee for the recognitions and expressed delight that ”the media and populace fully appreciate our efforts in using Nigerian Content to create employment opportunities and to promote the growth of the local economy.”
He dedicated the awards to his family and staff of the NCDMB, stressing that ”I have succeeded in this role simply because I have the full support of the management and staff of the NCDMB. Their commitment and dedication to duty is second to none.”
Wabote thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the opportunity to serve as the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB and underscored the support received from the Presidency to deliver on the mandates contained in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
He stated that the Board had pushed a few new ideas in the last two and a half years, including Equity investments in strategic third party projects, introduction of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with international and indigenous operating companies to enhance the Ease of Doing Business, creation of the US$200m Nigerian Content Intervention Fund to provide affordable and accessible credit for local oil service companies, progression of industrial parks to domesticate oil and gas components manufacturing and construction of the Board’s 17-storey Headquarters Building in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
According to him, ”we feel highly elated that our modest ideas and efforts are making the desired impacts and have attracted recognitions,” assuring that ”these awards will reenergize us to do more for our country.”
Other Awards conferred on the night included Life Time Achievement Awards, Global Awards and Sectoral Awards. Personalities honoured with the Life Time Achievement Awards included Mr. Haresh Keswani, the Group Managing Director of Artee Group; Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, Founder/CEO, The Chair Centre Group and Chairman, Board of Director, First Bank Limited; Dr Layi Francis Fatona, Managing Director, Niger Delta Exploration & Production Plc; Dr. Pascal Dozie, founder and Chairman of Kunoch Ltd and former chairman of MTN Nigeria and Mr. Tunde Afolabi, Chairman/CEO of Amni International Petroleum Development Company.