Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) on Friday, December 6, 2024, assured host communities in the Niger Delta of getting jobs to grow Nigerian content.
Olanrewaju Olawuyi, SPDC’s General Manager, Nigerian Content, said this at the panel sessions of the 13th Practical Nigerian Content Forum organised by Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
SPDC operates a Joint Venture with Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, TotalEnergies and Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
Olawuyi told stakeholders that the company had signed Community Content plans on specific services and supplies to be provided by communities in its area of operations.
According to him, such plans have been signed with Bonny and EA, with a third expected to be finalised next year.
“The Community Content plans set out in clear terms the services communities can offer and our role in supporting them. It is a mutually rewarding relationship.
“SPDC, which pioneered Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, has taken deliberate efforts to develop Nigerian Content in its area of operations in the past 60 years.
“The company has decided to pay particular attention to communities by giving them opportunities to develop their processes to industry standards.
“We’re not just giving opportunities to supply boats and other basic things; no, we are moving beyond that.
“We are talking about how communities can provide services, which capability we are going to build together in this relationship.
“So, we can tell that we are committed to building community capabilities and we see that there is a great future in this regard.
“It means communities can grow to supply goods and services not just to SPDC but to other international oil companies,” Olawuyi said.
He listed the scholarship awards and the NCDMB/Shell/PETAN as well as SAP internships as the platforms the energy firm uses to implement its policies on Nigerian content.
Olawuyi said: “All these are transformational. The testimonies of the individuals will touch and melt any heart; how their lives have been touched and how their fortunes have changed.”
The panel stress the need to involve professionals, youths and community stakeholders early in the implementation of projects to ensure they deliver the desired goals for companies and host communities.
By Nathan Nwakamma
