Michael James
12 December 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, SPDC, has emerged the Local Content Operator of the Year 2018 at the Annual Oil Industry Achievement Awards Dinner of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, PETAN, an association of indigenous technical oilfield service companies in the upstream and downstream sectors.
This marks the third time Shell Companies in Nigeria have won the PETAN award, having clinched same in 2013 and 2015.
Shell’s General Manager, Contracting and Procurement, Antony Ellis, also bagged the PETAN Chairman Outstanding Achievement Recognition Award for promoting the course of Nigerian oil service companies. Both awards were given after careful evaluation of the contributions of the international and national oil companies, to local content development.
“The awards are in recognition of Shell’s sustained effort in shaping direction of local content implementation in Nigeria through support for local asset ownership, growth of indigenous companies and human capacity development at all levels,” said PETAN Chairman, Mazi Bank-Antony Okoroafor, while announcing the awards at the dinner in Port Harcourt on Saturday, November 30.
Executive Secretary, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, presented the corporate award which was received by SPDC’s General Manager External Relations, Igo Weli, on behalf of the managing director of SPDC, Osagie Okunbor.
Commenting on the award, Weli said, “We are motivated by these gestures to continue to pursue in-country value addition in the oil and gas sector in alignment with the government’s aspiration in local capacity development.”
The awards are the latest in the recognition of Shell’s pioneering role in Nigerian content development. In 2016, PETAN had honoured SPDC with the Distinguished Achievement Award (Corporate) while the Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Bayo Ojulari, received PETAN’s Professional Award in the same year for his notable contributions to the development of Nigerian content in the oil and gas sector.
In addition to awards from PETAN, Shell Companies in Nigeria have also been honoured in Nigerian content development by the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Conference, the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping and at the Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERAs.)
