The former managing director/chief executive officer of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) Tony Attah handed over the symbolic NLNG key to his successor Philip Mshelbila over the weekend, bringing an end to the transition process.
At a farewell and welcome ceremony held in honour of the executives, the NLNG key changed hands, marking the ceremonial commencement of Mshelbila’s tenure.
The ceremony was graced by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike; Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki; executive secretary of NCDMB, Simbi Wabote; NLNG board chairman, Edmund Daukoru; NLNG board members; NLNG senior and extended management team; and dignitaries in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and beyond.
In his farewell remarks, Attah said, “I thank the staff and our partners who helped achieve our set goals. It was a collective success. I would like to see the five years as foundational. Earlier, the ambition of the Company was to build only two trains which was referred to as the Base Project. But we went on to build Trains 3,4,5, and 6. Then, we went into a break for 15 years. We pressed reset, released the ‘pause’ button, and got Train 7. But Train 7 is about the same capacity as Trains 1 and 2. For me, Train 7 is another base project, and we should go on to build other trains. I strongly believe we will.”
Receiving the NLNG key, Mshelbila said he was honoured to lead the company and vowed that the company would remain the leading LNG company in Africa and Nigeria’s most successful business model.
“It is with a great sense of responsibility that I stand here today, honoured to be the Managing Director of NLNG. The challenge before us is huge in a world marked by uncertainties and transitions, but I am not daunted. I am not daunted because I stand with a set of seasoned senior and extended management teams who are worth their weight in gold. I am not daunted because, together with the management team we have as members of staff, people who possess the right acument and resilience, with deep passion and commitment to move Nigeria LNG forward. These are the people who build the Company to where it is today. I am humbled to lead them today.
“We will complete Train 7 and take more FIDs to secure our place in the global market. We will complete the Bonny-Bodo Road and so many other social projects to fulfill our vision of helping to build a better Nigeria,” he said.
In his keynote speech, Mr Wike said the country needs technocrats like Attah, conferring on him the second-highest honour in Rivers State. He added that the former MD stood firm and made NLNG great. He also said that Mshelbila’s tenure would achieve more, urging him to continue from where Attah stopped.
Attah left NLNG on August 31 to return to his parent company, Shell.
