SENATORS, OTHERS OBSERVED A MINUTE SILENCE FOR SEN. WAKILI IN GHANA

Members of the Senate Committee on Local Content observed a minute silence in honour of late Senator Ali Wakili, (APC,Bauchi South), a member of the committee, in Accra, Ghana at the commencement of a three-day capacity building workshop on local content in the oil and gas industry.

Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West) the chairman of the committee while calling for the one minute silence recalled that the late senator was an active member of the committee and was among the first senators to champion and indicate interest in attendance at the workshop stressing that his patriotism and eargerness for downtrodden Nigerians and Nigeria interest is unrivalled and will be sorely missed.

The capacity building workshop which was jointly organized by the Senate Local Content Committee and Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) seeks to create a better understanding of issues amongst others like ensuring transfer of technology in oil and gas industry, use of local manpower and companies in execution of contract, oversight of NCDMB as well as amendment of the current Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010 to include linkage to industries.

Senator Adeola while declaring the workshop open stated that that as legislators, it has become imperatives to review and possibly amend the relevant acts governing the oil and gas industry to move the industry forward adding that such acts includes Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, Deep Offshore and Inland basin Production Sharing Contract Act and NOGICD Act of 2010.

Among those participating in the workshop are Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the vice chairman of the committee, Senator Albert Akpan, Senator Gershon Bassey, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, Senator aqbubakar Gumel, Senator Obinna Ogba, Senator Mohammed Kaka, Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and Engineer Simbi Wabote, the executive secretary of NCDMB.