Since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in 2010, Lee Engineering and Construction Company Limited, has sustained its efforts to transform the industry into equipment fabrication hub, writes Peter Uzoho
A good number of indigenous firms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector have shown commitment to harnessing the opportunities offered by the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act established in 2010.
The implementation of the Act has brought about huge improvement in capacity development with some local players now pioneering in areas hitherto in the prerogatives of foreign firms.
Consequently, committed entrepreneurs are now striving into various aspects of the industry to provide excellent services, hence paving the way for growth and development.
In this regard, Lee Engineering and Construction Company Limited, an Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Operation and Maintenance (EPCOM) firm has not only shown outstanding feat but set to take the central stage in industrial equipment manufacturing.
Encouraged by the Local Content Act and invaluable support from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the firm committed over $100 million into the construction of fabrication yard in a land covering about 10,000 square metres in Warri, Delta State, its operational base.
The project, which is due for commissioning before the end of March, will guarantee the fabrication of any equipment required in the oil and gas industry locally and in Africa.
Speaking to journalist during a guided tour of the facility, which is said to be 90 per cent completed, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lee Engineering and Construction Company, Dr. Leemon Ikpea said, when commissioned the factory would serve as a hub for local manufacturing of various equipment for use in the oil and gas sector and beyond.
He noted that: “Presently, all manners of steel fabricating machines have been installed while Nigerians with the necessary expertise operating them perfectly.”
Narrating how he came about the idea, Ikpea said it dates back to the 1980s when he worked as an administrator in the sector, specifically at the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited, (WRPC).
He said while working as a manager at Snamprojettif, a contracting firm servicing the WRPC, he saw the potentials of Nigerian skilled workers and realised that it could be enhanced for the good of all.