The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Thursday, December 12, 2024, executed the engineering, procurement, and construction contract with Julius Berger PLC for the development of Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre (OMRC), to be located at Otuabagi, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The Executive Secretary NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, executed the contract at the Board’s liaison office in Abuja, with the project construction to be delivered within 30 months.
The Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre (OMRC) is being financed by the Petroleum Development Technology Fund (PTDF), NCDMB, Shell Petroleum Development Company/Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd and the Bayelsa State Government, in the ratio of 40:30:20 and 10 respectively.
The project is registered by guarantee, with the four organisations serving as partners. The contract agreement has been approved by the partners and signed by Julius Berger PLC.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB serves as the chairman of the registered company, hence he signed the contract on behalf of the partners, with the Director Legal Services, NCDMB, Mr. Naboth Onyesoh, serving as the Secretary of the company.
The President Muhammadu Buhari administration had in February 2023 awarded the contract for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction scope of the OMRC to Julius Berger at the sum of N117 billion.
The groundbreaking of the OMRC was performed in February 2023, a colorful ceremony attended by leading government officials, oil and gas stakeholders and community members.
Ogbe expressed delight on the execution of the contract, which marked the commencement of construction activities. He noted that the project would catalyse immense economic benefits for the Bayelsa and the national economy during the construction and operation stages.
He thanked the partners of the project and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the project to date.
He indicated that the project was conceived to pay homage to the birthplace of Nigeria’s hydrocarbon commercial production journey which commenced in 1958.
He added that President Bola Tinubu believes that the project is long overdue hence the multi-level government and private sector collaboration was engineered to actualise the establishment of the project.
The OMRC project is expected to deliver a world-class oil and gas museum, showcasing the history of crude oil production in Nigeria and display of geological formations, early equipment, tools, and platforms used in the evolution of oil and gas activities.
In addition, the research testing centre that will provide a facility where field trials of prototypes of oil and gas related indigenous research will be conducted, grant access to university students in oil and gas related disciplines to potentially better understand indigenous oil and gas technology advancements.
The OMRC project will also facilitate the commercialisation of research through the creation of a suitable ecosystem for the development of home-grown technology for oil and gas operations and create a new commercial value chain from Museum and Research operations that will generate employment for Nigerians.
