Members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council led by its Chairman, Professor Olalekan Olafuyi, paid a thank you visit to the Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Dr Bello Aliyu Gusau. The essence of the visit the Chairman said is to appreciate the efforts of the PTDF to the Council by lending its facilities for the hosting of the organisation’s programme- the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF) annually. The Council Chairman who happened to be a beneficiary of the PTDF Scholarship programme, also seized the occasion of the visit to inform the Executive Secretary of the organisation’s forthcoming Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF) for the year 2022.
Professor Olafuyi, seized the occasion of the visit to inform the Executive Secretary about the Council’s past and forthcoming activities and programmes which include; Students Technical Symposium and Exhibition, Women Leadership Lecture Series, Nigeria Energy Industry Transformation Summit, Annual Technical Symposium and Exhibition, Young Professionals Workshops, and Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition.
In addition to the Fund’s hosting of the OLEF annually, the SPE Chairman further made some special requests to the Fund;
- To host the Council’s forthcoming ATS 2022
- To collaborate with SPE/Cypher Crescent on Digital Capacity Development Programme,
- The Fund’s hosting of NAICE, 2022, and
- The Fund’s participation in the Council’s Exhibitions, its short courses and sponsorship of staff of the Fund to participate in SPE’s programmes.
Responding to his requests, the Executive Secretary Dr Bello Aliyu, appreciated the encomiums lavished on the Fund by the Chairman of the Council. The Executive Secretary who was represented at the meeting by the General Manager, Strategic Planning and Documentation, PTDF, Mr Jide Adebulehin, affirmed that SPE is one of the Fund’s strategic stakeholders. “I am happy your chairman recalls his personal experiences; I am sure so many members of SPE all over the country have had personal experiences with the PTDF. We are always very happy when we have our scholars holding positions of high responsibilities like this”. On behalf of the Executive Secretary, Mr Adebulehin pledged the Fund’s willingness to continuously support SPE’s programmes and activities to show its level of satisfaction with the organisation’s activities. He, therefore, promised to take the Chairman’s message to the Executive Secretary.
In a chat with the PTDF Digest, the SPE Council Chairman, Professor Olalekan Olafuyi reiterated the impact of the PTDF in the development of the petroleum and energy sector in Nigeria. According to him, “The SPE came up with the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum and PTDF graciously accepted to be hosting it every year so that we can let people know important issues about the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and the policies that should be taken by the government. So, this year’s OLEF is very important, and it is good it is taking place in PTDF which has been our host in the past and will be our host in the future. Like I said earlier, without PTDF I wouldn’t have been the Council’s Chairman, it has been God-ordained, but I had to pass through the PTDF. So if I had not gotten a PHD and excelled; if those things had not happened to my life, I don’t think I would have been more confident to be in this position”. He concluded.