OpeOluwani Akintayo
Lagos — International Oil Companies, IOCs, including Total, Shell, and Chevron, are to be honoured with awards in different categories at the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria, NAEC 2019 Conference which holds in Lagos on Thursday.
Also on the list of awardees are veteran journalists and integrated communications experts, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, and the General Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, Alhaji Yakubu Lawal, who are to be bestowed with NAEC’s Award of Excellence and Lifetime Achievement Award respectively.
A statement by the General Secretary of NAEC, Mr. Sebastine Obasi, explained that the awards were the result of a painstaking selection by an independent team of assessors spanning a period of three months.
He disclosed further that the awards were targeted at encouraging organizations that believe in the potential inherent in the country’s oil and gas sector through their relentless commitment to massive investments aimed at creating jobs and delivering on the Nigerian dream.
Giving a breakdown of the award category, Obasi said, Shell will receive the award as ‘Outstanding IOC Contributor to Gas Development’, Total as ‘Outstanding Contributor to Local Content Development’, ExxonMobil as ‘Huge Investor in Oil Discovery’ and Chevron carts away ‘Outstanding Social Investment Company of the Year’.
Others are Eko Electricity Distribution Company, EKEDC as ‘Outstanding Utility Company of the Year’, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC is ‘Best Public Utility Company of the Year’ and Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc as ‘Outstanding Indigenous Contributor to Gas Development’.
Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari will deliver the keynote address on the theme ‘Harnessing Oil and Gas Potential for National Development’ while the Acting Director of Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Ahmad Rufai Shakur, will be the Special Guest of honour.
Managing Director of ExxonMobil who also doubles as Chairman of Oil Producers Trade Section, OPTS of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Mr. Paul McGrath, is the Chairman of the Conference.
The conference will feature two technical sessions. The first technical session is titled: ‘Effects of Sanctity of Contracts on Commercial Operations” while the second technical session is titled: “Commercial Viability in Gas-to-Power Value Chain”.
Other confirmed speakers are; Group Managing Director of Oando Plc, Mr. Wale Tinubu; Group Managing Director of Aiteo Eastern E&P Limited, Victor Okoronkwo; Managing Director of Total, Mr. Mike Sangster; Managing Director of Nigeria LNG, Mr. Tony Attah and President of Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE, Mr. Debo Fagbami.
Others are; Managing Director/CEO of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo; Managing Director of Eko Electricity Distribution Company, EKEDC, Mr. Adeoye Fadebiyi; Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Mohammed Gur; Executive Secretary of Association of Power Generation Companies, Dr. Joy Ogaji; and the President of Nigeria Gas Association, NGA, Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, among others.
