The Petroleum Contractors Trade Section (PCTS), of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), a non-profit association committed to enhancing safety, security, legislation, and corporate responsibility within Nigeria’s oil industry, convened key industry stakeholders for its 2024 Annual Partners Dinner held in Lagos on Friday, June 14, 2024.
The event brought together major contributing partner companies from across Nigeria’s technology and services value chain, providing a platform for PCTS to showcase its achievements and express gratitude to its stakeholders for their continued support. In addition to continued investment in research and development, other priority areas for PCTS include viable legislation, corporate responsibility, and government engagement.
Rosario Osobase, Chairperson of PCTS and Managing Director, Tenaris, in her opening remark, emphasized the association’s commitment to advancing Nigeria’s oil and gas industry through quality stakeholder engagements, human capacity development, and research and development.
“For us at PCTS, our collective investment in training and developing personnel and knowledge transfer to Nigerians continues to enable local content. PCTS is committed to even greater collaboration between industry stakeholders, policymakers, and the government, enhancing the Nigerian oil and gas industry’s competitiveness and ensuring sustainable goals for the future,” Osobase stated.
Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, FCA, President & Chairman of Council, LCCI, shared that he believes the country needs to double down on decentralizing the police force and implementing state and local policing units as these will help protect the expensive infrastructure in the industry. He stressed the important role of sectorial groups like the PCTS in shaping government policies for economic growth and highlighted the importance of the energy sector’s potential for continued investment and development. Mr. Idahosa expressed the LCCI’s commitment to supporting PCTS in addressing key issues in its industry by serving as an advocate to hasten the government to take appropriate action.
The Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, who was the special guest of honor, was represented by Ndah Adaba, his Technical Advisor. Mr. Adaba expressed the Minister’s continued support for the PCTS and emphasized the critical role of the association in maximizing the potential of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. He assured the association of the full support of the minister’s office in its operations, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
In his address, Minister Lokpobiri said, “The inauguration of the Petroleum Contractors Trade Section in July of 2008 was a turning point [in addressing the fragmented approach that had hampered Nigeria’s transformation as a major player in the global oil and gas sector]. The PCTS has shown that when we work together we can achieve remarkable results that benefit both our industry and the wider community.”
The dinner had in attendance some of the heads of PCTS’ member companies — Sops Ideriah, Managing Director, West Africa, SLB; Okey Okoli, Executive Director, Nigeria, Halliburton; Tayo Akinkunmi, Country Manager, Nigeria, TechnipFMC and Julius Inikori, Country Manager, Nigerstar7. Other captains of industry at the event include Dr. Chinyere Almona, Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Dr. Ama Ikuru, Director, Corporate Services, NCDMB; Mr. Tony Attah, Ex-MD, NLNG, among many others.
PCTS has previously delivered a position paper to the Presidency on the pathway to upstream success, where it identified key industry issues including challenges in foreign exchange, expediting local production, procurement, and policy inconsistency and implementation, highlighting the NOGICD Act 2010 as a tool for growth.
The 2024 PCTS Annual Partners Dinner showcased the section’s accomplishments over the past decade and reinforced its dedication to creating a conducive environment for collaborations that will enhance the oil and gas industry while making it safer and more responsible. As we move forward, we invite all stakeholders to continue supporting our mission and to stay engaged with our upcoming projects and initiatives.
