The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has commended Brentex Petroleum Services Limited for the significant progress made on its Steel Pipe Induction Bending and Coating Facility at the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) in Onne Port, Rivers State. The Board described the project as a landmark industrial initiative that underscores Nigeria’s emergence as a leading hub for oil and gas logistics, engineering, and manufacturing services.
$50 Million Investment Targets Pipeline Engineering Gaps
The Brentex facility represents a $50 million investment designed to deliver integrated steel pipe induction bending, heat treatment, testing, and coating services for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. To date, over $26 million has been invested, and upon completion, it is expected to become Africa’s first fully integrated plant capable of handling steel pipes ranging from 2 inches to 48 inches in diameter.
During a tour of the facility on Thursday, the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Director of the Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, Esueme Dan Kikile, congratulated Brentex on the project. Ogbe reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to collaborating with industry stakeholders to deepen in-country capacity, promote industrialisation, and expand Nigerian Content in the oil and gas sector.
Brentex Facility as a Response to In-Country Capacity Needs
Ogbe praised Brentex for its bold investment, resilience, and dedication to building indigenous capacity, noting that the company’s steady progress reflected growing confidence among Nigerian firms in delivering world-class oil and gas infrastructure. He described the Brentex Steel Pipe Induction Bending and Coating Facility as “a direct and tangible response to the quest for in-country capacity in specialised pipeline engineering services,” adding that it would advance “our collective goal of retaining value, creating jobs, and strengthening Nigeria’s position as a leading energy services hub in Africa.”
Reflecting on the Board’s long-standing relationship with Brentex, Ogbe disclosed, “We’ve been on this journey with Brentex for over a decade. Today, we’ve seen what you are doing on ground. And that’s actually the whole idea about the equipment component manufacturing initiative of the NCDMB – in-country value addition – and you have been steadfast.”
NCDMB Pledges Support to Attract Industry Patronage
The NCDMB boss urged Brentex’s management to sustain momentum and maintain the highest standards of quality, safety, and operational excellence, noting that the facility has the potential to become a flagship Nigerian Content asset and a reference point for specialised pipeline engineering services across Africa. “I’d like to express the Board’s deep appreciation for your investment in our country, and to assure you that you have our support,” he declared. “Whatever we can also do to get the industry to patronise this investment, we’ll do that, because it’s very important that the industry take advantage of what we have in-country.”
Brentex MD Highlights 10-Year Partnership and 2027 Completion Target
In his opening remarks, the Managing Director of Brentex Petroleum Services Limited, Chidi Nzerem, thanked the Executive Secretary and the NCDMB delegation for the visit, describing it as a strong vote of confidence in the project. He acknowledged the Board’s support over the past 10 years, stating that sustained interventions had been instrumental to the facility’s progress. Nzerem noted that the facility was conceived to advance the objectives of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, and expressed hope that the Board’s support would continue. He confirmed that the facility is scheduled to become fully operational in the last quarter of 2027.
Employment and Training for 200 Nigerian Engineers
Responding to an inquiry from the General Manager of the Downstream, Project Certification and Authorisation Division, Tassalla Tersurgh, on human capital development, Nzerem said the company would engage NCDMB after facility certification to develop training programmes aligned with the Board’s mandate. He disclosed that the facility is expected to engage about 200 engineers and other technical personnel, creating employment, technical training, skills transfer, and capacity-building opportunities. The long-term goal is for the facility to be 100 per cent handled and operated by trained Nigerians.
Strategic Importance: Reducing Import Dependence and Boosting Local Content
The Project Manager at Brentex, Patrick Anaje, highlighted the facility’s strategic importance, noting that it is the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. He stated that the plant would transform pipeline engineering services by providing Nigeria’s first fully integrated in-country solution for steel pipe induction bending and coating. Anaje disclosed that Brentex is currently engaged in the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Natural Gas Pipeline project, where the new capabilities would be of immense value. He noted that an estimated 95 per cent of steel pipes are currently imported, and the facility will enable operators to source specialised pipe induction bending, coating, and pipe repair services locally. This will significantly reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and overseas repairs, shorten project delivery timelines, lower procurement-related delays and costs, and improve operational efficiency across the oil and gas industry. Anaje added that the project will deliver significant benefits to the national economy by retaining industry value within Nigeria.
The ceremony was attended by top management officials of NCDMB, executives of Brentex Petroleum Services Limited, industry stakeholders, project consultants, contractors, representatives of the host communities of Onne and Ogu, members of the Community Liaison Committee (CLC), and members of the media, who witnessed firsthand the significant progress recorded on the strategic Nigerian Content project.
