Engr. Simbi K. Wabote
Non-Executive Director
Engr. Simbi K. Wabote was appointed as the Executive Secretary Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) by President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) on 29 September, 2016. Prior to this appointment, he was an Executive Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Nigeria Limited and General Manager, Business and Government Relations for Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN).
Engr. Wabote joined Shell in September 1991 as an Oil and Gas Engineer after a short stint with the Banking industry in Nigeria. He served Shell in various senior positions within Nigeria and in several countries in Africa, Europe, North America, Middle East, Asia and new frontier countries, in Engineering, Local Content Development, Contracting & Procurement, Government Relations and Community Affairs.
In just over two years in his current position as the Executive Secretary, Engr. Wabote has reinvigorated the operations of the NCDMB and has developed the Nigerian Content 10-Year road map to grow Nigerian Content to 70% by 2027. He has spearheaded the commencement of the construction of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park in Odukpani, Cross Rivers State, and Emeyal-1, Bayelsa State, as well as the launch of the $200m (USD) Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund) to provide low-cost and accessible credit to service companies.
He brought his project management skills into the rapid construction of the Board’s new headquarters building complex, comprising a 17-storey office building, 1,000-seat auditorium and multi-level car park.
Engr. Wabote also pioneered the development and deployment of the Service Level Agreements (SLA) between the Board and the Nigeria LNG, Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) and Indigenous Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), which has reduced the tendering cycle time to six months and fast tracks development of new projects.
Under his watch, NCDMB catalysed the successful integration of one of the largest Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units in-country at the SHI-MCI yard in the LADOL Free Trade Zone, and he facilitated in-country integration of six modules on the Egina FPSO, the first time in the entire Gulf of Guinea.
Engr. Wabote introduced key signature events into the Oil and Gas Industry calendar, such as the biennial Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) and the Nigerian Research and Development Fair (R&D Fair), to showcase oil industry’s opportunities for investment and to galvanize research capabilities, respectively. He also has used the annual Practical Nigeria Content conference and exhibition to set agenda for the industry.
Engr. Wabote has championed NCDMB’s equity investment in Waltersmith’s modular refinery and other strategic capacity development initiatives in the hydrocarbon value-chain, in line with the Board’s vision to serve as a catalyst for the industrialisation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector.
Engr. Wabote holds an MSc from Leeds Metropolitan University, and is a Graduate of Civil Engineering from Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, as well as a graduate of INSEAD Group Leadership Program. He has very sound technical and business competencies, with proficient skills in engineering, project management, local content strategic development, human capacity building, government relations and stakeholders management.
He also is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, a COREN-registered engineer and a member Institute of Civil Engineers London.