The governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode and his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki have been scheduled to speak at a two-day sensitisation seminar on local content development in the oil and gas and shipping industry.
Besides Ambode and Obaseki, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Simbi Wabote; Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru; the Managing Director of Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, Umunna Okon Umunna; as well as the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside are also expected to speak at the occasion.
Others are the Managing Director of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), Ms Emmy Jadesinmi; Group General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mr. Roland Ewubare; and the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman.
The seminar which is expected to attract several stakeholders in the maritime industry and beyond is being organised by the umbrella body of journalists covering the maritime industry, Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN).
The Secretary General of MARAN, Mr. Dapo Olawuni in a press statement made available to Maritime Bits at the weekend said that the event is targeted at encouraging Nigerians to be fully integrated in the oil and gas logistics operation particularly in the upstream sector.
He noted that a special focus is being placed on the Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform recently delivered by TOTAL Nigeria Limited.
The two days seminar tagged “Local Content Development in Shipping, Oil and Gas Logistics Operations in Nigeria” is billed to hold on 21st and 22nd August 2018 at Rockview Hotel in Apapa, Lagos.
According to him, Ambode has indicated his interest to participate in the programme as the state has recently joined the list of oil producing states in the country.
He revealed that a special focus is equally on Edo State which has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a consortium of Chinese and African companies for the construction of a 5,500 barrel per day modular refinery.
Continuing, he said: “As maritime journalists, we believe that the benefits of Nigeria’s participation in the oil and gas logistics operations would add to the multiplier effects in employment opportunities, capacity building, technology transfer, cost-saving and reduction in capital flight. It will in addition make Nigeria an oil and gas hub in the West African Sub-region.”
The MARAN Secretary General said that the event is to further showcase the importance of the shipping sector to the oil and gas industry and the need for more Nigerians to be aware and take advantage of opportunities in the local content law, Cabotage Act, among others.
MARAN which has been in existence for over 30 years has been carrying out a number of agenda setting objectives for critical stakeholders and the federal government towards enhancing policy formulation and implementation.
