Excerpt: NCDMB and Zigma equip 50 crane operators with industry-ready skills to boost employment and reduce reliance on foreign workers.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with Zigma Limited, has boosted the nation’s skilled workforce with 50 crane operators who graduated from a training programme sponsored by the board in Port Harcourt Friday.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Felix Ogbe, said the training was aimed at increasing the technical skills of the trainees in crane operations to make them employable and reduce dependence on foreign expatriates.
Represented by an officer of the board, Mr. Halvin Okonmah, Ogbe said the programme was another step towards achieving NCDMB’s vision of developing indigenous capacity to drive Nigeria’s oil and gas industry and other critical sectors.
“NCDMB has always been an organisation that works to improve the capacity of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry. As we all know, the industry is a growing one. Every year, it gets bigger and bigger. Our aim with programmes like this is to increase the skill sets of Nigerian citizens so they can become part of the industry.
“So, when foreign companies come to Nigeria and want to employ workers, we have skilled Nigerians who can take up these jobs and deliver excellently,” Ogbe said.
He advised the trainees and other skilled Nigerians seeking jobs in the oil and gas industry to register on the Nigerian Content website to access employment opportunities.
“To all participants in this programme, I’ll advise you to register on the Nigerian Content website. From that platform, whenever opportunities arise in the oil and gas industry, you will be notified. As long as you uphold our core values of professionalism, creativity and innovation, the sky is your limit,” he said.
The Chief Operating Officer of Zigma Limited, Mrs. Ojinika Mba-Kalu, said the programme had enabled beneficiaries to acquire skills that would make them employable in the oil and gas industry and other sectors where their services are required.
“Through this process, many young Nigerians have been given the opportunity to upskill and secure employment in highly rewarding organisations, especially in the oil and gas sector. For this particular training, we followed a very rigorous selection process.”
She added that participants underwent intensive classroom and practical sessions covering crane operating principles, equipment inspection, load handling, signalling, risk management, and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) standards.
Mba-Kalu reaffirmed Zigma Limited’s commitment to collaborating with government and industry stakeholders to deliver more skills development programmes. She urged the graduates to be ambassadors of safety and excellence, saying the knowledge they had acquired should open doors to meaningful contributions to Nigeria’s industrial growth.
“This is a testament to what can be achieved when institutions, industry and individuals unite around a common purpose of building the capacity of Nigerians to compete, excel and lead within our nation’s oil and gas industry.”
Presenting the project report, Zigma’s Project Manager, Amy Nwadiaro, disclosed that the programme ran from July 6 to July 31, 2026. She explained that 355 applications were received, 65 candidates were shortlisted for screening, and 50 participants were selected, all of whom successfully completed the course.
Nwadiaro said the curriculum was designed to combine theoretical knowledge with hands-on practical training to ensure that graduates could apply their skills effectively in real work environments. She noted that the 100 per cent completion rate reflected the participants’ commitment and the quality of facilitation by the training team.
She added that the curriculum covered crane operating principles, lifting operations, equipment inspection, load handling techniques, signalling and communication, hazard identification, risk assessment, and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) best practices.
One of the graduates, Ojie Evidence, expressed appreciation to the sponsors of the programme, NCDMB and Zigma Limited, as well as the facilitators, for providing them with the opportunity to upskill.
Ojie said the training provided critical knowledge in boom set-up, working range calculations, load charts and safety margins essential for offshore and industrial operations.
He added that the programme demonstrated that Nigerian Content development was a lived reality, not merely a policy, and that the skills acquired would enable the graduates to compete for jobs on rigs, decks and offshore platforms anywhere in the world.
Blessing Ibunge
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