The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, has been honoured with a Doctor of Science degree, honoris causa at the 8th convocation of Imo State University in Owerri.
The award was received on his behalf by the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at NCDMB, Mr. Patrick Daziba Obah.
Mr. Obah dedicated the award to the management and staff of NCDMB, recognizing their contributions to the growth and transformation of the Nigerian oil and gas industry, and for their excellent performance in their job functions.
The Imo State University praised Engr. Wabote in the citation, recognizing his exceptional career spanning 26 years at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), where he held various leadership positions, including Executive Director and General Manager Local Content.
In 2017, under Engr. Wabote’s steer, the NCDMB developed a 10-Year Strategic Road Map aimed at achieving 70% Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry, creating 300,000 direct jobs, and establishing major fabrication facilities and hubs for the manufacture of equipment, components, and accessories required by the industry.
The Imo State University honoured Engr. Wabote as a model public servant, a thought leader in local content, and an astute manager of men and resources, who has applied his academic knowledge in transforming the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.
This is evident in his success at SPDC and even more at NCDMB, where the organization has surpassed performance targets and increased Nigerian content from 26% in 2016 to 54% by the end of 2022.
The convocation was attended by important personalities, including Imo State Governor, His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodinma, former Governor Rochas Okorocha, now a serving Senator of the Federal Republic, and the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Uchefula Chukwumaeze.
This honour comes in the wake of several other national and international recognitions bestowed upon Engr. Wabote and NCDMB in recent months, including the Leadership Local Content Champion of the Year Award, the Distinguished Capacity Development Award, and being recognized as the best among all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the Executive Order (EO1) performance ranking for Ease of Doing Business.
Others who received honorary doctorate degrees were Nigeria’s first and only woman State Governor, Her Excellency Dame Virgy Ngozi Etiaba, Chief Oliver Chukwudum Alawuba, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa Plc, and Chief Chika Emenike (NPOM), Chief Executive Officer of Kotec Group of Companies.
