Yemisi Izuora
Shell Companies in Nigeria on Wednesday won the coveted Excellence Award at the Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, held in Abuja. This is coming on the heels of a streak of other industry leadership awards recently garnered by Shell including the best local content company from the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board and another from the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
“Shell you are doing well. Shell should mentor the growth of other Nigerian companies in the industry,” said the outgoing Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, while presenting the award at a gala night to round off the 2019 edition of Nigeria’s biggest oil and gas event.
Baru noted that many efforts and innovations by Shell companies in Nigeria had continued to drive the industry towards sustained economic development and growth.
Receiving the award, the Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, said Shell companies would be further challenged by the recognition to be relentless in making significant contributions to the industry and the Nigerian economy.
Okunbor said, “We are pleased that this Excellence Award, along with our emergence as the International Oil Company with the Most Impactful Local Content Initiatives in the upstream category at the 2019 edition of the NCDMB’s Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair held in Yenagoa in April, is a recognition of Shell’s deliberate strategy to grow sustainable Nigerian companies. We are glad that our work is recognised by the industry.”
“Our journey to excellence as a leading energy company in hinged on the tremendous dedication and contributions of our staff, the majority of whom are Nigerians; and the strong support of our partners led by the NNPC,” he added.
He noted that apart from the energy produced by Shell companies and the revenue they generated for the government, the companies remained at the forefront of indigenising industry skills and capabilities while growing Nigerian companies to provide key services in-country.”
Shell’s Nigerian Content Development Manager,Olanrewaju Olawuyi, described the award as well-earned given the pioneering initiatives and strides by Shell companies in Nigeria which he said had put the oil and gas industry in the hands of Nigerians. “We are motivated by the award to continue to pursue in-country value addition in the oil and gas sector as this aligns with the government’s aspiration in local capacity development.”