Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on Nigeria’s oil industry to spearhead technological advancement in the country, describing the current gap in local technical capacity as a national dilemma that requires closer collaboration between oil companies and government.
Speaking at the Sweet Crude Dialogue in Yenagoa, organized by De Mangrove Conversations, Jonathan pointed to the scale of investment oil companies make in equipment and logistics, arguing that this investment should be leveraged to build domestic technical capability rather than simply extracting and exporting crude. He said Nigeria should use its oil resources as a foundation for broader technological development, urging companies to work with government to manufacture more of the equipment used in the industry locally.
He credited the local content law enacted during his administration, represented at the event by the Nigerian Content Development Management Board, as a step toward that goal, arguing that developing local production capacity for even small industry components would ensure the country benefits more fully from its oil wealth. He said selling crude alone creates few jobs and does little to diversify the economy, whereas expanding local production tied to the oil sector could have a much broader economic impact. He commended the oil companies for their current efforts and expressed optimism that frameworks such as the Petroleum Industry Act could help drive further progress, encouraging continued dialogue among stakeholders.
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, represented by Deputy Governor Peter Akpe, said oil and gas wealth from the Niger Delta has powered the Nigerian federation and funded government for decades while the producing communities remained impoverished and underserved. He said his administration commissioned a state environmental and oil commission that documented what he called an oil driven environmental crisis, and that the state government and House of Assembly are now working on legislation to give effect to the commission’s recommendations on remediation and a just transition.
The event’s convener, Biobele Da Wariboko of De Mangrove Conversations, said the dialogue was intended to amplify voices from the Niger Delta calling for fairness, equity and justice in how the region’s oil wealth is distributed.
