Yemisi Izuora
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has called for continuous collaboration between professional associations in the oil and gas industry and government agencies to ensure the sector contributes more effectively to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
Such collaboration could result in investments in research and development that will ensure technological innovations not only in the oil and gas industry but also in other sectors of the economy.
The SPDC Exploration Manager Gogo Eneyok made the call in Abuja where the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) began its 60th Annual International Conference on February 16-21, with the theme “Transformation of the Mineral, Energy, Water and Construction Sectors through innovations.”
He said: “SPDC has sustained its decades-old partnership with the NMGS, sponsoring conferences, providing internship opportunities for professionals and the academia and supporting research, especially through the provision of real-time data from the industry to improve the quality of academic work.”
Eneyok added: “Shell continues to power progress n Nigeria through our operations on land, shallow and deep-water waters, as well as in gas and renewables and will provide opportunities for industry professionals to innovate and keep pushing the limits of research and development. It is indeed, a time where all professionals and government must deliberate on the various aspects of the energy sector.”
In his address at the conference, NMGS president, Prof Akinade Olatunji, enjoined Nigerian government to trust its citizens’ capabilities to guide the nation on a “trajectory of consistent growth that will wipe out poverty.”
He said: “The NMGS conference has grown from a very humble beginning 60 years ago to become the flagship of all the geosciences and mining professionals’ conferences in Nigeria. We are confronted by a vast changing world order. It is against this background of a changing world order and the fervent need to be self-sufficient in all spheres that we have identified the need for innovation in solving the myriads of challenges in the various sectors of the Nigerian economy.”
In a goodwill message delivered at the conference, President of the National Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), Johnbosco Uche, said: “NMGS role is critical as it helps to shape the future of earth scientists, foster research and ensure that professionals operate with noble values as the nation exploits natural resources.”
Uche, who is also the Chief Geophysicist for Shell Companies in Nigeria, highlighted NAPE’s collaboration with NMGS: “As colleagues in geosciences, we at NAPE deeply value the partnership with you. Our shared goal of harnessing the earth’s resources responsibly and efficiently requires continuous co-operation and synergy between us.”