By Idu Jude
Ways forward aftermath of COVID-19, remains a major focus in the oil and gas Industry as the Oloibiri Lecture Series & Energy Forum (OLEF) makes a comeback for the 2021 edition.
Organizers of the popular lecture series of crème’ de la crème’ in oil and gas industry, said in press statement, that it is not ready to leave any stone unturned after the last-minute suspension of the 2020 edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva is already scheduled to deliver the State of Industry address at the forum, which is scheduled to begin on the 18th of March.
Also confirmed for the keynote addresses are Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Auwalu Sarki, Director/Chief Executive, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
The theme for this year’s edition which is scheduled to hold in Abuja on March 18. 2021 is Operational Excellence and Portfolio Optimization: Way forward for the Oil and Gas Industry in the post COVID-19 era.
“Since last year we have been confronted with the situation of pandemic which also led to lockdowns in several countries and resultant downturn in commercial and industrial activities leading to an unprecedented drop in demand for our commodities. Thus, we thought about operational excellence in the current context, giving us the ability to be low-cost producers and we also thought about portfolio optimization in the sense of assets divestment and transfer of mature assets from the established players to new comers”, says Olatunji Akinwunmi, Chairman, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Nigerian Council.
According to Akinwunmi, speakers for 2021 OLEF include Osagie Ogunbor, Managing Director and Country Chair, Shell Petroleum Development Company; Chikezie Nwosu, Chief Executive Officer, Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited; Roger Brown, Managing Director/Chief Executive Seplat Petroleum Development Company;
Others includes, Wang Hao, Chief Technology Officer, Huawei Energy Department while Mr. Victor Okoronkwo, Group Managing Director, AITEO will handle closing paper presentation.
OLEF 2021 in line with COVID-19 protocol will be a hybrid event with select physical attendance and the rest of the delegates joining online.
Oil and gas industry players blames Covid 19, as OLEF 2021 comes underway
The Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF) is an annual lecture series focused on contributing to oil and gas policies development for Nigeria in commemoration of the first oil-well drilled in Nigeria by Shell Darcy at Oloibiri, in Ogbia, Bayelsa State, in 1956.
The annual lecture series attracts participation from the government, regulatory agencies, heads of industry practitioners at all levels, as well as other key stakeholders from around Africa.
