Managing director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and country chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN), Osagie Okunbor, has received an award of excellence from the newly instituted executive leadership of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN).
Mr Okunbor received the award in a brief ceremony in Lagos recently where the PETAN executive led by its chairman Wole Ogunsanya said: “The award is to acknowledge Country Chair’s leadership of Shell and the long-running relationship between PETAN, PETAN member companies and Shell.”
Ogunsanya further said, “Shell has been a leader in driving the growth of local capacity participation in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Several of PETAN members had their first breakthroughs with Shell while even more are currently providing services to Shell Companies in Nigeria.”
“PETAN member companies pledge to consistently deliver quality products and services to Shell in particular,” he said.
Ogunsanya also expressed appreciation for the Shell partnership with PETAN and the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in the Shell-PETAN internship programme that is giving young Nigerian graduates the opportunity to have a two-year on-the-job training in their respective disciplines to enhance their employability.
“This programme has been a resounding success with several of the interns retained by the participating members,” Ogunsanya said.
Okunbor thanked the PETAN delegation for the recognition, saying: “The growth of participation of indigenous companies in the oil and gas industry is a good thing. Shell companies in Nigeria retain the commitment to continue to create opportunities for Nigerian companies to participate in our business.”
Okunbor added, “For example, in 2023, SPDC, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and Shell Nigeria Gas Limited (SNG) awarded $1.98 billion in contracts to Nigeria-registered companies, marking a 3% increase in value from the previous year. SCiN also directly employed more than 2,500 people (of whom 96% were Nigerian nationals) with over 9,000 contractors supporting operations.”
Okunbor reiterated that Shell has invested in game-changing businesses in Nigeria for over 60 years and will continue to power progress, positively impact lives and unlock opportunities.
