Future Concerns Nigeria Limited (FCNL), Nigeria’s leading supplier of safety equipment has partnered with MSA, a United States-based manufacturer, provider and distributor of personal protective equipment (PPE), to build West Africa’s first Safety Service Centre.
The centre which is sited in Lekki, Lagos, was officially commissioned by Engineer Ernest Nwapa, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. It will provide quality safety service solutions, especially for the Oil and Gas sector. These solutions include gas detection maintenance, service and repair of breathing apparatuses and a host of other technical-related works.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Engineer Tony Oguike, the Managing Director, Future Concerns Nigeria Limited, said the new facility would deliver great value to their clients in the Oil and Gas Sector, adding that the experience and expertise of his company convinced MSA to grant FCNL the rights to build the facility.
He said: “The Future Concerns Group focuses on the pursuit of excellence, delivering value, worthwhile partnership and exceeding client’s expectations. Our business model is about satisfying the clients. Those are some of the key factors that influenced the decision of MSA to grant us the rights to build an independent service and maintenance centre in West Africa, the first of its kind.
“MSA has about 100-year experience in the business of manufacturing and maintenance of safety equipment, with presence in all the continents of the world. Convincing them was not an easy task but we were able to prove to them that we could deliver. We are very pleased that they trust us and the result is the commissioning of this facility today.”
In his remarks, Mr. Colin Oliver, Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, MSA, commended the enterprising spirit of Oguike and the professionalism and integrity of Future Concerns. He noted that the relationship between the two companies has been further strengthened by the core values of quality service, integrity and responsiveness that Future Concerns has displayed all through the years of the relationship.
He said: “MSA is no doubt the biggest brand globally in safety equipment manufacturing and maintenance. We have provided solutions to various clients across the world. The African market, particularly Nigeria, is very huge and we are excited to be a major player in the industry. Our partnership with Future Concerns so far has enabled us to provide better tailor-made solutions and services to our clients. This new facility is another step in consolidating the existing relationship. Clients no longer need to take their faulty equipment abroad for maintenance. Future Concerns Service Centre can conveniently handle their needs. The company’s technicians have been well trained and are all MSA-certified.”
In his keynote address, Engineer Ernest Nwapa, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), said the partnership between MSA and Future Concerns has further highlighted the gains of the local content policy of the Federal Government.
He said: “Without doubt the local content policy of the government is yielding great gains. Gone are the days when Nigerians celebrated the award of fat contracts in the industry as the only dividend of local content. We have gone beyond that. Nigerian entrepreneurs are now taking on bigger roles by attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and forging alliances with global brands with the purpose of technology transfer and capacity development that could aid the progress of the local content policy. I congratulate Future Concerns on this milestone and urge you to move to the next level which is the sustenance phase. Maintain the standards that swayed the decision of MSA by delivering consistently quality service to your clients.”
The occasion was graced by dignitaries in the Oil and Gas industry and the company’s clients which include Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil, Schlumberger, Halliburton, among others.
