The Federal Government has said it is committed to promoting local content development in the oil and gas sector.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who disclosed this during a visit to Akwa Ibom State, said that the vision of the government was to clear all bureaucratic bottlenecks, institute a private sector-driven economy and promote local content development in the oil and gas industry for sustainability.
Kachikwu commended the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, for his vision of transforming the state into an industrial hub.
According to a statement, Emmanuel advocated the hosting of the 2017 International Oil and Gas Opportunities Exhibition in Nigeria in order to promote local content and conserve funds expended in participating in the exhibition overseas.
He also made a case for the establishment of a logistics centre to refine aviation fuel in the country so as to reduce the importation of the product from abroad.
The governor also thanked Kachikwu for approving the establishment of modular refinery in the state, while commending the Nigerian Content Development And Monitoring Board for hosting the maiden edition of the oil and gas fair in the state.