For his excellent contributions to the growth and transformation of the Nigerian oil and gas industry and the towering leadership he has provided for the development of local content in Nigeria and Africa, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board was last weekend conferred with a Doctor of Science degree, honoris causa at the eighth convocation of the Imo State University, Owerri.
The award was received on his behalf by Mr. Patrick Daziba Obah, NCDMB’s Director of Planning, Research and Statistics who dedicated it to the management and staff of the Board for their excellent performance on their jobs and accomplishments, which continue to receive positive reviews from government and other industry stakeholders. In attendance at the event were Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma and former Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, as well as the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Uchefula Chukwumaeze.
In the citation on Engr. Wabote, an alumnus of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, and Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, the Imo State University stated: “Prior to his current appointment as the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, he had an exceptional career in Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), spanning over 26 years. During his time in SPDC, he held several leadership roles and positions, including Executive Director; General Manager, Local Content, and General Manager, Business and Government Relations.”
“In 2017, under his steer, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board developed a 10-Year Strategic Roadmap with the key objective of achieving 70 percent Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry; creating 300,000 direct jobs; establishing major fabrication facilities in-country as well as hubs for the manufacture of equipment, components and accessories required by the oil and gas industry and its linkage sectors,” eulogised the university.
In honouring Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Imo State University were holding him up as a model public servant, a thought leader in local content, astute manager of men and resources, who has acquired significant academic knowledge and applied it practically in transforming an important sector in the Nigerian economy. It showed in his success story at SPDC and even more at NCDMB, where the organization has surpassed performance targets in several areas, including development of indigenous technical capability, and had upped Nigerian content from 26 percent in 2016 to 54 percent at the end of 2022.
Others who received honourary doctorate degrees were Nigeria’s first and only woman State Governor, Dame Virgy Ngozi Etiaba, who had a stint as Anambra State Governor; Chief Oliver Chukwudum Alawuba, Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa, and Chief Chika Emenike, Chief Executive Officer, Kotec Group of Companies.
This honourary doctorate degree is coming in the wake of several other national and international recognitions bestowed on the Executive Secretary and the Board in recent months.
On Tuesday last week, the Executive Secretary received the Leadership Local Content Champion of the Year Award at the 14th Leadership Conference and Awards. Also on Wednesday, the Board was adjudged as a Level 5 Platinum Level organisation” in a summary report of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) Self-assessment Tool (SAT). Other notable awards received by the Board recently included the conferment of the Distinguished Capacity Development Award conferred on the Executive Secretary by the President in October 2022 and the recognition accorded to NCDMB as the best among all Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the Executive Order (EO1) performance ranking for Ease of Doing Business from January to June 2022.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
