The RMF program began with a brief ice-breaker by the CVL Director, Corporate Service, Mrs. Francisca Ukabiala who anchored the introductory section for members of the audience.
The 1st speaker; Mr. Akin Fatunke began with a statistic on male & female population in the world, and then brings up his early education and goes on to share his experience. Mr. Akin Fatunke started off as an article clerk and then joined Mobil Nigeria as an accountant via the influence of a former governor of Lagos State Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was insistent on the intake of brilliant and deserving young Nigerians into his department.
He surmises that to rise fast in Oil and Gas sector, you have to develop and become more than the initial qualifications that got you in—an engineer has to become more than an engineer. Mr Fatunke learnt about negotiation, talent management, interpersonal skills and says all this contributed to his rise to become an astute leader and administrator in the sector.
To emphasis the points above, he shares his experience during the petroleum subsidy inquest at the height of the January 2012 “Occupy Nigeria” crisis. He represented his company, an international oil major at the National Assembly hearing and came through on the strength of integrity and an exceptional ability to build and maintain relationships.
Overall Mr. Fatunke stressed the following as necessary for maximizing opportunities in the oil and gas sector; -going over and above the call of duty, humility, a willingness to serve and learn, open to hearing from those younger and below us, as well as embracing diversity and inclusivity. All of which can be summarized in character, competence, compassion and the capacity to learn, unlearn and relearn.
The 2nd Speaker; Dr. Ibilola Amao makes a PowerPoint-aided presentation on maximizing the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector for growth opportunities highlighting the need for domestication and domiciliation of various opportunities in order to maximally benefit the Nigerian economy and people.
Dr. Amao emphasized the extreme need for competent Nigerians to serve as local players in the Nigerian upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. Stating that oil exploration in Nigeria has shifted steadily away from the hinterlands of the Niger delta, through swamps and wetlands and then offshore to the complexity of present deep-offshore exploration. Focused young Nigerians who develop the requisite competence, character and capability are well-placed to leverage collaboration amongst other like minds to bid competitively for sector-wide opportunities.
She made a brief mention of energy mix that is at present obtainable and the need to project into the year 2040 as some foreign governments have and come up with a more applicable energy mix that emphasizes renewable energy. She also mentioned the opportunities available in harnessing gas—which is presently being wasted via flaring because of a lack of foresight and discipline—as feedstock for the Nigerian agricultural value chain.
In conclusion Dr. Amao spoke about the soft skills required to persevere and succeed in the Oil and Gas sector emphasizing collaboration with competitors as an ultimate skill necessary for thriving in the sector.
The third and final speaker, Mr. Fernando Madiera, Chief Finance Officer, Enyo Retail and Supply Limited Spoke on the financial challenges and strategies on how to entrepreneurs can source for funds.
AWARD PRESENTATION TO THE ROLE MODELS
NETWORKING SESSION
PARTICIPANTS AND ROLE MODELS IN A GROUP PHOTOGRAPH
About the Author
I will appreciate if I can be invited to be a participant at the next forum.
Thank you Mr. Muyideen for your interest in the next edition of the Role Model Forum.
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Thank you.