Mr. Osagie Okunbor, Country Chair, SPDC
By Olufunke Afolami
The Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition, NAICE, organized by Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE, was held recently in Lagos. The event that lasted for three days brought together juggernauts in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and germane issues with regards to artificial intelligence and data bothering the industry were deliberated upon as solutions were also preferred by industry stakeholders.
Oil giant Shell, sponsored the awards night of the event where the company also won the best exhibitor among other numerous exhibitors.
In his sponsor’s remark, the Country Chair of Shell, Osagie Okunbor made it known that SPE is a body that the company is proud to be associated with because it has many of its members in the society.
Okunbor said SPE is industry based and in-country building as a number of issues are addressed because of the themes it focused on many years.
The Country Chair asserted, “I noticed that in 2016, the subject was on Transparency, in 2017, it was titled: Waste of Boom and Burst, 2018, it was Effective Diversification of the Nigerian Economy and in 2019, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Mobile Technology.”
Therefore, it was very clear that the SPE is really at the cutting edge of focusing on the contemporary issues that confronts the oil industry and the country at large. He commended the Leadership of Nigerian Council of SPE for its consistent strategic approach.
Okunbor congratulated the leadership of SPE with regards to the Council Chair, for bringing successfully into conclusion the 2019 edition of the annual conference. He stated thus, “It is clear that there is need to build on daily and being able to optimize data and probably more important generating it.”
The Country Chair noted that if all that was deliberated on NAICE are utilized, they will impact positively on the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
He stated further that Shell companies are both in Nigeria and around the globe identifying strongly with the theme of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. “We used advanced infrastructure as one of the world’s plant providers giving us the capacity for powerful data analytics. We are all leaders we deploy AI whether using it in areas ranging from seismic analysis, drilling or very importantly predicting frontiers. All these we do because we know that digitisation has a big role in delivering all of Shell’s strategic growth.”
He stated clearly, “We can do more, the industry can do more and to do more, we all need to join hands together.”
The Shell boss commended SPE for championing such a topical discourse that can move the oil industry forward to take Nigeria’s oil and gas industry to the front seat.
He appreciated opportunity given to the multinational to be part of the event. The Country Chair was impressed with the generational spread of SPE from the leadership of Professor Wumi Iledare to the present council team that organised NAICE.
Okunbor was of the view that with the reality on ground, it means succession plan is assured for the revered petroleum society.
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