“we have built our reputation on professionalism and quality service delivery in the oil and gas sector,

Obi Uzu, Managing Director of GPPS

Congratulations on the official opening of GPPSL office complex/operations base in Port Harcourt. How did the company get to this enviable position?

Global Process and Pipeline Services Ltd (GPPSL) was formed in 2002 but commenced operations in 2010 as a frontline oil services company, showcasing Nigerian indigenous capability on land, swamp and offshore terrains. Over the years,

without compromising safety and quality standards. We have continued to provide value, reliability, and technically effective solutions to our ever-increasing clientele base. Our critical success factors include, massive in-house capacity in terms of fit-for-purpose equipment; competent, dedicated and resilient workforce; extremely commendable track records; and unbroken focus in our core areas of competency. Our robust and successful collaborative management style is tied to strict ethical standard adherence. We have encouraged our workforce to own and adopt high safety awareness and environmental consciousness.

GPPS currently has the largest incountry pumping, process and pipeline services equipment fleet, capacity and competency. Beyond that, our topdown approach to Health, Safety and Environment, fosters a company-wide ‘safety first’ attitude suited to the needs of our clients. Obviously, the new office complex and operations base will further enhance our operational efficiency for a superior service quality delivery in line with the highest industry standards and best practices and in accordance with the tenets of ISO 9001:2015; with attendant commendations pouring in for such a young and dynamic company acknowledged by the oil industry giants like - Exxonmobil, Total, NLNG, and Shell Companies in Nigeria, just to mention a few. We deploy the best equipment on all our projects. Anyone can rent equipment but using GPPSL equipment means reliability, efficiency, deliverability based on the best inclass industry preventive maintenance standards.

What will you say are the achievements of GPPSL since the take-off of the company? We are proud of our rapid growth and this has been attested to by African Business Review report, listing us among the top 10 fastest growing companies in Africa, as at March 2014.

“I can boldly say that we own the largest fleet of resources in Nigeria for our line of business.

We have become a superior brand name in the pre-commissioning and pumping industry with numerous awards and we have ramped up our safety and quality operating delivery to the admiration of our clients. We are a great success story of collective collaboration of Nigerian talents that is strategically organized to harmoniously work together for the continuous development of a high standard brand in Africa. GPPSL is the only Nigerian company focused solely on process and pipeline product service line with major projects completed in the deep-water

Majorwaves Energy Report FEBRUARY 2020, Vol 3 No 2 applications. We have attracted the best hands in the industry, from the multinationals to work with us on our expansion plan into other Sub-Saharan Africa countries.

There are accusations that most International oil companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria devise various means to evade complying with the Nigerian Content Act but here you are, reeling out names of IOCs who believe in you.

We came from the background of having been employed by IOCs and multinational service companies. Now, as a service provider, I can frankly tell you that IOCs are happy to patronize competent and reliable local companies once they are sure that the local companies will deliver at acceptable ethical, safe and industryspecific standards. ExxonMobil for instance have greatly supported us from the very start with training, positive feedback, and huge patronage which catapulted our growth to this enviable capacity.

We have also continuously delivered good services to Total E&P, Chevron and SNEPCo. There are times we have shown superior capacity ahead of the multinational service competitors. In one of the cases,

“we were told that ‘it is not possible for a local company to score higher in technical bid (capacity) than a multinational service provider’, but we did score higher.

Secondly, some operators are afraid of insurance liability and escalated project cost that may arise if the said local company becomes unable to deliver as required. Some local companies just want to be agents without capacity. Some of these issues are being addressed by the dynamic Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) team, who are assuring competent Nigerian companies of patronage, fair evaluation and strict adherence to monitoring.

How would you assess process and pipeline services as it concerns competency and capabilities of local companies in Nigeria?

Despite their unsteady start, locally owned firms continue to play a significant part in the oil and gas ecosystem in Nigeria. There is still a dearth of competency and capability in local companies operating in Nigeria for this product service line; however, GPPS has differentiated herself with her top-down exceptionally-competent management team. It worthy of note that we have trained our next level managers in some of the world’s best institutions like Harvard and Cambridge Universities. We are increasingly becoming the resource base (equipment and people) for this service line in the Nigeria market.

So can we say that GPPS is a product of Nigerian Content initiative?

Absolutely!

We are proudly Nigerian; and a product of the Nigerian Content Initiative. The leading Nigerian company operating with international standards and industry best practice. I must commend the NCDMB, led by the Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Wabote, for the giant strides being recorded under his leadership. They are aggressively propagating the clear essence of local content in creating opportunities and local engagement for very organized and capable Nigerian company.

What do you think should be done to deepen local content penetration in the country?

The future for Nigeria’s oil, gas and energy industry is very promising, comparatively. The sector is relatively open, the regulators, operators and service providers must learn to work with each other and create value under a common and transparent set of rules. Prior to the NOGICD Act, indigenous capabilities were only in a sort of closed environment; also, the supportive governance structure did not exist. Foreign firms owned specialist management and technical teams, including access to capital. Today, we have a more inclusive industry with increased participation of capable local companies. More importantly, to deepen local content penetration, we should put in place proven systems for monitoring and assessing performances of the indigenous companies; demanding feedback from the operators on level of performance by local companies, postwork completion. We should also have an incentive to encourage and drive technology transfer from multinationals to local companies; and finally,

“we need to establish a transparent template for competency and capacity verification,

with a repository of in-country database. This will form the basis for which IOCs will be subjected to use them, without resistance.

Where do you hope to take GPPSL in the near future?

Our goal is to turn GPPSL into a global brand, spreading into other countries. We have no doubt that GPPSL would become the obvious market leader in her product service line, especially in Africa. I see GPPSL expanding her foot-print and geography into other sub-Sahara African countries in the nearest future. And in terms of financial success, I see GPPS doubling her current revenue base, with massive ramp-up on operational deliverability and efficiency in the near future.

Thank you.