The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has disclosed plans to eliminate intermediaries in Nigeria’s Petroleum sector, through a harmonised contractor grading system.
Speaking at the flag off the the 2026 Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG)Energy week in Abuja on Monday, Felix Ogbe, Executive Secretary of NCDMB, said the exercise would introduce a harmonised five-class grading system for contractors, replacing the different classification models currently operated by various industry regulators.
Representing Ogbe, Abayomi Bamidele, Director of Capacity Building, at NCDMB explained that the new framework was jointly developed with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), NipeX, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) and other industry stakeholders in line with the Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance.
He explained that the initiative would ensure that only companies with proven technical and operational capacity secure contracts, while genuine Nigerian manufacturers and service providers gain direct access to opportunities in the sector.
He said, “Currently, a company can be graded differently by NCDMB and NipeX. With this harmonisation, everyone will work with one classification system, ensuring consistency across the industry.”
