BILLIONS AT STAKE: “Why The NCDMB Under Felix Omatsone Ogbe Demands Immediate Presidential Scrutiny”___Niger Delta Advocates For Development And Economic Justice -

By Rotimi Adebayo

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, SENATOR BOLA AHMED TINUBU

Your Excellency,

This is not a routine policy disagreement. It is a matter of institutional credibility in one of Nigeria’s most economically strategic agencies.

At a time when Nigeria faces inflationary strain, capital flight concerns, unemployment pressure, and heightened investor skepticism, every agency tied to the oil and gas value chain must be subjected to the highest standards of measurable performance and radical transparency.

It is in this spirit — and in the national interest — that we call for urgent scrutiny of the leadership and operational direction of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) under its current Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsone Ogbe.

The NCDMB was created as a corrective mechanism — to end the era in which Nigeria exported crude oil and imported opportunity. It was mandated to deepen indigenous participation, reduce capital flight, catalyze domestic manufacturing, and create skilled employment across the oil and gas ecosystem.

That mandate is not symbolic. It is measurable.

And it is time to measure it.

Exhibit A: The Performance Gap

Public institutions entrusted with billions of dollars in influence cannot rely on ceremonial announcements as proof of impact.

The prosecutorial question is straightforward: Where is the consolidated, independently verifiable evidence of structural transformation under the present leadership?
• Has Nigeria’s retention of oil and gas project value significantly increased year-on-year?
• Has contract allocation broadened to include genuinely competitive indigenous entrants?
• Has fabrication and engineering capacity demonstrably expanded in ways that reduce foreign dependency?
• Are job creation claims traceable, quantified, and audited?

If such transformation is occurring, the data should not be difficult to locate.

In regulatory governance, opacity is not neutral. It is consequential.

When performance metrics are fragmented, when dashboards are not prominently accessible, and when stakeholders struggle to obtain clear outcome data, questions naturally multiply.

The burden of proof lies not with critics — but with the institution wielding authority.

Exhibit B: The Intervention Fund — Transparency Or Tight Circle?

The Nigerian Content Intervention Fund was designed as a financial equalizer — a mechanism to unlock capital for small and medium-scale indigenous players historically excluded from large contracts.

Yet persistent concerns echo within industry circles:
• Who exactly are the beneficiaries?
• What proportion are repeat recipients?
• What is the measurable success rate of funded enterprises?
• What is the repayment performance?
• How rigorous is the monitoring framework?

Your Excellency, in matters involving public-interest financing, perception can be as damaging as misconduct.

If the Fund is operating under rigorous transparency, publish full beneficiary lists, impact assessments, repayment data, and independent monitoring reports.

If that transparency is incomplete, it must be strengthened immediately.

No institution handling strategic financing can afford even the appearance of selective access.

The NCDMB’s regulatory authority touches billions of dollars in contract approvals, compliance enforcement, and project certification. Such influence demands a governance threshold higher than the minimum statutory requirement.

Exhibit C: Governance Standards

The following are not optional luxuries — they are baseline expectations:
• Fully accessible and timely audited financial statements
• Transparent procurement frameworks
• Publicly available compliance enforcement statistics
• Independent performance audits released without delay

Mr. President, has a recent independent, publicly disclosed performance audit assessed the Board’s activities under current leadership?

If so, where is it prominently displayed for national review?

If not, why not?

Institutions do not build credibility by asking the public to assume integrity. They build it by documenting it.

Exhibit D: Strategic Direction In An Era Of Energy Transition

Nigeria’s oil and gas landscape is shifting. Global capital is increasingly cautious. Energy transition pressures are real. Gas commercialization and modular refining offer domestic opportunity — but only with strategic clarity.

The NCDMB should be aggressively repositioning indigenous firms to compete at higher levels of the value chain.

Has a measurable strategic roadmap been published and benchmarked?

Are technology transfer targets clearly defined and tracked?

Is there transparent reporting on how indigenous firms are graduating from subcontractors to prime contractors?

Without measurable benchmarks, strategy becomes aspiration.

The Risk of Institutional Drift

Nigeria’s history is burdened with agencies that began with bold mandates but gradually became insulated from rigorous scrutiny.

The NCDMB must not join that list.

When transparency is partial, suspicion fills the gap.
When oversight appears limited, confidence weakens.
When data is difficult to access, perception becomes the dominant narrative.

This is not about presuming wrongdoing. It is about preventing institutional decay.

Your Excellency, Nigeria cannot afford complacency in an agency designed to protect national economic value.

The Case for Immediate Oversight

To protect both the institution and the national interest, the following steps are urgent:
1. Commission an independent, publicly released forensic performance audit of the NCDMB’s operations under its current leadership.
2. Mandate full disclosure of Nigerian Content Intervention Fund beneficiaries, repayment performance, and monitoring outcomes.
3. Publish comprehensive contract allocation data tied directly to measurable indigenous capacity growth.
4. Convene structured executive and legislative oversight hearings specifically focused on transparency and measurable impact.

If the leadership of the Board is delivering exceptional results, such scrutiny will strengthen its legitimacy.

If weaknesses exist, early corrective action will preserve institutional credibility before deeper damage occurs.

This Is About National Value

Mr. President, oil and gas remains the backbone of Nigeria’s revenue structure. The NCDMB sits at the heart of how that value is distributed, retained, and expanded within our borders.

An agency with such strategic influence cannot operate in an atmosphere where questions persist unanswered.

Nigeria does not need assurances.
It needs documentation.
It needs transparency.
It needs measurable proof.

The stakes are too high for ambiguity.

Respectfully,

Comrade Pina Ogrenfa,

National Coordinator, Niger Delta Advocates For Development And Economic Justice ( NDADEJ )

Comrade Freeborn Abraye,

Secretary General, Niger Delta Advocates For Development And Economic Justice ( NDADEJ ).