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The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has announced plans to investigate Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO) over allegations of expatriate quota violations and anti-labour practices.
The decision follows a protest by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) at SEEPCO’s headquarters in Lagos, led by the union’s National President, Festus Osifo. PENGASSAN accused SEEPCO of favoring expatriates over qualified Nigerian workers, violating local content regulations.
In a statement issued on Monday, NCDMB reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010. The Board emphasized its past enforcement actions against SEEPCO, including penalties for non-compliance with local content laws.
Between 2017 and 2018, SEEPCO was sanctioned for deploying unapproved expatriates and executing unauthorized projects. In response, NCDMB ordered the company to disengage the expatriates, follow proper quota procedures, remit outstanding payments to the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF), and train and employ 40 Nigerians.
Despite SEEPCO’s partial compliance—training 40 Nigerians by 2022—the company reportedly failed to meet its employment commitments and complete NCDF remittances. The Board stated that SEEPCO had ignored several directives, prompting legal proceedings under Section 68 of the NOGICD Act.
NCDMB has now requested statutory submissions from SEEPCO and scheduled a performance review session for March 2025. It reiterated that companies violating local content laws would face legal consequences and warned that non-compliance would not be tolerated.
“The NCDMB remains committed to the enforcement of the NOGICD Act to create employment opportunities for Nigerians,” the statement read.