Now that a brand new concrete weight coating plant owned by Monarch Alloys Limited has been commissioned at Ikorodu, Lagos State, a longer shelf life for any subsea pipeline or the ones found in the wet terrain of Nigeria’s crude oil-rich Niger Delta may have been guaranteed.

To put certainty around protection for local oil industry companies, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri on Thursday 24 April 2025, therefore announced a ban on the issuance of waivers for the importation of threaded pipes into the country while fixing his gaze on the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to ensure compliance.

His stern directive had come right after the NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatshola Ogbe, in his separate opening speech had reiterated what seems to be the Board’s unwavering support for indigenous companies that help it carry out its mandate.

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Monarch Alloys Limited, with its plant which has an annual external coating capacity of two million square meters and an internal square meters coating capacity of one million square meters, will consolidate efforts already going on to meet up with onshore and offshore pipeline requirements.

Increased line lengths and sea-bed depths in oil and gas production or distribution demand advanced corrosion protection and the deployment of a full range of coating systems, and this company, established by Indian owners but surely with support from the Federal Government of Nigeria, looks ready to meet up with the challenges.

At the commissioning event, apart from the petroleum resources minister and the executive secretary, were the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, federal legislators and the Secretary to Lagos State Government, Ms. Bimbo Salu-Hundeyin.

The latter was representing the Governor of Lagos, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was away at Harvard University in the United States for a much-publicised engagement.

During Senator Lokpobiri’s speech, he emphasised that investments like Monarch Alloys Limited’s must be patronised, as this will encourage similar projects in the sector, to create more jobs in the country.

Emphasising this, the minister said that we would not allow dumping of pipes or such things anymore; we have a duty to support our industries to grow.

According to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) during his lighter opening remarks, he had decided to request leave from the Vice-President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, leading a national economic council meeting yesterday, to attend the commissioning and drive the message home that the government is with organisations like Monarch Alloys.

When it was the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Enoh’s turn to mount the podium and give his remarks, he quickly sped up to laud Monarch Alloys Limited for lessening Nigeria’s dependence on importation and expanding the value chain. He said the investment aligned with the agenda of his ministry to promote value addition, job creation and partnership for the growth of the economy.

The investment, says Enoh, also serves as a model for continuous collaboration between the private sector and government via mutually-grown opportunities being made available to the Nigerian populace.

Via these points, he sees that Nigeria’s economy would only grow through industrialisation, championed by a government that wants to continue to provide an enabling environment for future investments.

Back to the NCDMB’s Executive Secretary and his earlier statements, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe commended Monarch Alloys Limited for their foresight, a move he explained underscored the mandate his Board has been given.

Before the VIPs filed out of the event hall to the inner crannies of the plant for the tape cutting ritual, he had already passed a vote of confidence on the establishment, deeming it as one that aligns with the intent of the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC) — a key instrument under the NOGICD Act.

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This certificate is only issued to manufacturers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) who commit to establishing production in Nigeria for components, equipment and systems used in the oil and gas industry.

Going further, Engr. Ogbe, although not his first since he took his job at the tail-end of 2023, reaffirmed that such compliant manufacturers and OEMs will get prioritised during technical bid evaluations in the oil and gas industry. He admitted that sourcing critical elements such as pipeline coating from abroad drains both opportunity and value from the Nigerian economy.

He observed that the situation is changing, with the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act by the NCDMB.

According to the executive secretary, the economic implications are significant, including job creation, skills development, stimulation of local manufacturing and logistics. Monarch Alloys, says the executive secretary, is not only serving a sectoral need, [but] it is also actively contributing to national development.

From the start to the finish of the plant, it had all been a tale of lofty ambition.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Managing Director of Monarch Alloys Limited, Mr. Atul Chaudhary, had confirmed that it had taken just 18 months of committed work by the company to bring every guest present to the commissioning hall, and in the government’s mind, more of this should come.

Ayodele Johnson

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.