Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria’s oil and gas industry has recorded a major innovation milestone as the Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE, has hailed Rivers-born engineer, Mr. Ricky Brown Owunari, for what it calls a significant leap in global engineering content creation, following the approval of his Dewaxer Flow Enhancer and Downhole Tool under U.S. Patent No. 12,448,868 B2.
Speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Mr. Owunari announced that the technology had received formal endorsement from the United States Government, describing the patent as both a personal achievement and a landmark for Nigeria’s energy sector.
He said the development should inspire Rivers State to embrace the tool as an official brand, noting that the breakthrough demonstrates the region’s transition from conflict narratives to high-value technological output.
According to him, the innovation is clear evidence that “Niger Deltans have moved beyond the era of militancy and are now producing world-class content, research outputs, and technical solutions.”
Members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers who attended the briefing said the patented tool is a timely addition to the industry’s flow assurance arsenal.
They noted that wax deposition in crude oil wells remains one of the most expensive and recurring problems operators face, often leading to production interruptions and significant maintenance costs.
SPE representatives emphasised that the feat underscores the need for Rivers State to invest more deliberately in innovators whose work carries global potential.
Industry experts at the event added that the technology evolved from years of field observation, hands-on experimentation, and research targeted at improving oil flow in challenging well conditions.
They urged greater national recognition for home-grown engineering breakthroughs, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to formally acknowledge the achievement and encourage similar innovations emerging from the Niger Delta.
Mr. Owunari also detailed the technical development behind the patented system, explaining that the Dewaxer Flow Enhancer was engineered to improve production efficiency, reduce downtime and enhance operational safety across oilfields.
Stakeholders used the platform to warn against piracy of the intellectual property, stressing that unauthorised reproduction of patented technologies discourages innovators and undermines national technological progress.
According to them, the achievement reinforces the emergence of a new Rivers State anchored on creativity, engineering content development, and technical excellence rather than conflict or resource agitation.
The session ended with renewed calls for deeper collaboration between government and industry players to protect intellectual property and position Rivers State as a greenhouse for innovation-driven solutions.
Stakeholders noted that the Dewaxer Flow Enhancer “will solve some riddles in the oil and gas sector as well as other relevant sectors of the economy.”
