The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) have committed to a marked increase and improved quality of the local content of materials and products used in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria.

This commitment was expressed during a courtesy visit of the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engineer Simbi Kesiye Wabote and his management to the SON Corporate Headquarters in Abuja recently.

Engr. Wabote acknowledged the existing collaboration of his agency with SON in the area of standards development but expressed the desire to enhance the cooperation into certification of all local content including materials, machinery, products and services used in the oil and gas sector to assure their quality for greater value.

The Executive Secretary enumerated his organisation’s challenge in executing its mandate of guiding, monitoring, coordinating and implementing the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act as including confirming the certification and quality status of equipment, materials, products, goods and services utilized in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

Wabote called for further collaboration between the NCDMB and SON to achieve uniform standards for all locally fabricated/manufactured equipment, materials, goods and services that will be acceptable to all players in the industry as well as necessary certification and confirmation procedure between the two organisations.

“SON should amplify the circulation of information relating to existing standards for the Nigerian oil and gas industry” as this will go a long way in improving the standards of local content, according to him.

Responding, the SON Director General, Mallam Farouk Salim expressed delight at the collaborative visit, stressing that it aligns with his organisation’s publicly expressed desire to focus greater attention to improved quality of activities, products and services in the oil and gas sector in 2022.

Mallam Salim assured the NCDMB Boss that SON will take deliberate steps to ensure greater involvement of the Board and its staff in standards development activities as well as conformity assessment procedures for the oil and gas sector.

The SON DG offered the organisation’s internationally accredited management systems standards training and certification services, particularly for Quality and Environmental Management to the NCDMB at discounted rates.

He also enjoined the Board to encourage its stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to patronise the SON accredited services as part of its mandate of increasing local content while also saving scarce foreign exchange expended in accessing similar services from abroad.

Mallam Salim disclosed that the SON promoted National Metrology Institute has capacity to support the oil and gas industry in the area of accuracy of measurements through calibration of all equipment and measuring instruments.

The DG SON stated that the organisation recently acquired more equipment including mobile calibration trucks that can visit companies and sites for the calibration of all types of industrial equipment such as for density, temperature, pressure, length and dimension, small and big volume, mass, force, flow, hardness, time and frequency etc.

These metrology services according to Mallam Salim, also provide a huge window for saving scarce foreign exchange in the oil and gas sector.

The two organisations resolved to set up a joint committee to articulate the broad areas of collaboration with a view to developing a memorandum of understanding on increased scope and quality of local content for equipment, materials, goods and services in the oil and gas sector to be signed as soon as possible.