President Muhammadu Buhari will present the Distinguished Capacity Development Award to Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The upcoming Nigeria Excellence in Public Service Awards will honour Wabote and other notable public officials in the nation who have been nominated in various categories.
The award ceremony is slated to take place at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja on October 21, according to a letter from Dr. Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, Permanent Secretary, General Service Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The letter claims that since taking the helm of the NCDMB in September 2016 and being reappointed in 2020, Wabote has made remarkable progress and achieved much, especially in the development of human capacity and of infrastructure.
Wabote is credited with a number of noteworthy accomplishments, including “providing over 13,000 Nigerians with opportunities for skill development, resulting in over 12 million training manhours, and championing the construction and commissioning of NCDMB’s 17-Storey Headquarters with a 1000-Seat Conference Auditorium and Multi-Level Parking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
“The successful partnership with Waltersmith Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited to develop and commission a 5000 barrels per day (bpd) modular refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State, and investments in modular refineries like Azikel Group 12,000 bpd hydro-skimming modular refinery in Polaku, Bayelsa State; Atlantic International Refinery’s 2000 barrels plant in Brass, Bayelsa State, and Duport Midstream’s 2,500bpd modular refinery in Edo State.
“The construction of two oil and gas parks in Bayelsa and Cross River States – designed to spur the manufacturing of critical oil and gas equipment, tools and spare parts in Nigeria. The parks are due for completion in Q1 2023 and would create over 2000 jobs each.
“The championing of the construction and donation of an ultra-modern vocational school to the University of Ibadan and renovated and equipped the Government Technical College Abak, Akwa Ibom and Technical College Amoli, Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State.
“He championed the donation of over 35 ICT centres and science labouratories to secondary schools across the country to enhance the quality of Information, Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
“Wabote oversaw the growth of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund to a US$500m Fund and disbursed it effectively as credit to Nigerian oil and gas service companies and community contractors, with single-digit interest.
“He facilitated the NDCMB’s partnership with investors to catalyse critical projects in the gas value-chain, in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration of the year 2021 – 2030 as Nigeria’s Decade of Gas.”
