By Jhon Oghojafor (Warri)
What could be described as a clear expression of fulfillment of an age-long expectation was written all over his face as the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo rounded off his tour of facilities of an indigenous oil and gas services company, Lee Engineering and Construction Company Limited situated in Ekpan-Warri, Delta State, recently.
The former president had arrived the oil city on July 7, 2017 for an inspection of facilities at the multi-billion naira indigenous oil and gas servicing company with a view to ascertaining the level of its compliance with the Nigeria Local Content policy of the federal government, the genesis of which was traceable to the Obasanjo administration in the early 2000s.
Known for his bluntness, Obasanjo recalled how it became a priority for his administration to change the outlook of the oil and gas industry that was then almost entirely dominated by imported facilities and expatriates, adding that expectation was high that Nigerians would one day break the monopoly of foreigners in the oil and gas sector in terms of fabrication of parts and tools as well as employment in the future.
He said: “When we started we were always expecting that there will be indigenous Nigerians who will take advantage of that policy by really establishing companies and even reverse what was happening at that time because all things were coming from abroad and everybody working in the oil and gas industry being expatriates.
“What I have seen here, no doubt, is the cutting-edge of the technology for fabrication, for welding, for building and for servicing the oil industry. So, I’m not only just happy, I feel I have a sense of fulfillment the local content policy is taken by a colleague of mine, Lee, who is an engineer, and has not only taken it he is making it.”
While expressing satisfaction for the facilities he saw on ground, Chief Obasanjo, urged stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to encourage the company in terms of support and promotion.
“Now, when you have invested in the type of facility that he has invested in, which is making people around happy, what do we now need? This facility needs to be promoted, this facility needs to be supported, this facility needs to be given jobs so that the facility and the people working here can continue to make meaningful contribution to the Nigerian economy”, the former president said.
Also speaking in the same vein, the deputy governor of Delta State who along with the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, were in the entourage of the former president, praised the effort of the chairman and chief executive of Lee Engineering and Construction Company Ltd, Engr. Leemon Ikpea for blazing the trail in the implementation of the Local Content Policy.
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori also commended the effort of the chairman and chief executive of Lee Engineering Const. Co. Ltd for implementing the Local Content policy in the running of his company, urging other indigenous companies in the sector to emulate the company.
While welcoming the former president earlier, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Lee Engineering and Construction Company Ltd, Engr. Leemon Ikpea stated that the company which is fully and totally indigenous, was nearly three decades in operation, adding that it was established to provide employment for Nigerians as well as put in check capital flight which results in over-dependence on expatriates in its operation.
“We observed that most of the facilities used by the International Oil Companies (IOC’s) are imported. So, we decided to build our local capacity”, he stated.
