The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board NCDMB has said there is no iota of truth in the allegation by a group it described as a fake coalition of civil society groups that a whooping N9.9billion was spent by the Board on consultancy services. The Board, which also said that the group was sponsored to orchestrate a smear campaign against it, noted that in a similar report last week, the group claimed that N7.7billion was spent of consultancy services, which it has increased to N9.9billion in just one week.

According to a statement issued by the Corporate Communications department on February 21, 2025 and made available by our Correspondent, neither the Board nor the Executive Secretary/CEO spent the amount being claimed by the group.

The Board noted that it organised a strategic workshop with heads of ministries, departments, and agencies of government that pertain to the oil and gas industry to interrogate and find areas of alignment in the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development NOGICD Act, 2010, in line with its Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap’s enabler on Stakeholder Collaboration and Engagement.

It further disclosed that the workshop holds every two years and involves the leadership and senior management of those critical agencies, with a view to ensuring a harmonious policy and regulatory implementation by all agencies and institutions connected with the NOGICD Act implementation.

The Board also insists that due process was followed and that all expenditures in relation to this Strategic Workshop and other projects of the Board were made in accordance with approved financial and procurement guidelines.

The statement reads in part: “The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) wishes to alert the public that a sponsored group, CCSGG, masquerading as a coalition of civil society group for good governance are recycling the same bogus and unfounded allegations that were recently published against the operations of our agency by an online media.

“There was no such expenditure of N9.9 billion naira by the Board for consultancy services. It is instructive to note that this figure has moved from N7.7 billion to this new figure within a week by these fake groups masquerading as civil society groups.

“S.B Capital Partners & Advisory Limited, engaged by the Board since 2018, offers credit review services for the NCDMB Nigerian Content Intervention Fund NCIF with Bank of Industry. S.B Capital Partners & Advisory Limited credit review is to determine economic viability and bankability of projects submitted to the Board through the Bank of Industry (BoI) on our Nigerian Content Intervention Fund NCIF.

“The Board conducts all its operations within the highest levels of transparency, which is why we have for three consecutive years won the award from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council PEBEC as the number one agency in transparency and efficiency amongst all federal ministries, departments and agencies.

“We urge the media and members of the public to completely disregard the concocted allegations by these desperate individuals, who are determined to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of the Board. We know the sources and sponsors of these attacks on the Board and in due time they would be revealed.”