OTC: Participants decry low turnout of Nigeria’s industry players
Some participants at the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, United States have decried the low turnout of Nigeria’s industry officials at the conference.
They said the officials including operators, regulators, government functionaries and members of the National Assembly committees relevant to the conference, among others, were conspicuously absent at the conference.
The participants spoke with the journalist on the sideline of the conference on Wednesday in Houston, Texas.
They frowned at the development, attributing it to the poor planning by the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Organisers of Nigeria’s exhibition pavilion at the conference.
A Geologist, Mr Andrew Felix, said, “Thank God the association has some members who are notable industry players, this year’s OTC would have been an absolute disaster.
Felix added that the glamour and knowledge-based information and policy statements from government’s representatives were completely lacking.
“I regret the money I spent in attending this year’s OTC, it is like lost money,” he said.
Another participant who is based in Houston, Mrs Doris Ifeanyinchukwu, an Engineer, attributed the absence of these industry chiefs to poor organisation by the current leadership of PETAN.
The participant noted that the level of awareness created by PETAN was poor.
According to her, most of the regulators that ought to have interacted with operators to know their challenges and how best to address the same were absent.
A participant, Victor George, an Investor, said, “This is the worst OTC put out by PETAN, the organisation lacks the quality expected of an international event.”
Another participant and industry Stakeholder, Mrs Tinuade Genty, an oil and gas consultant, said having attended the last 10 editions of the event, “The 2022 PETAN organised OTC falls far below pass mark.”
She urged the organisers to ensure that subsequent ones were improved upon to give stakeholders value for attendance.
PETAN is the umbrella body of indigenous oil services companies in Nigeria providing specialised services to the upstream and downstream sectors of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
The association anchors the yearly OTC planning and organisation and leads the Nigerian delegation to the global flagship industry event in Houston.
Besides, the conference opens members to new clients, collaborations and latest technologies in their various specialisations.
It also offers tangible business opportunities for the supply chain.
Absent at this year’s event was the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, Group Managing-Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr Bitrus Bako Nabasu and the Producers Organisation (APPO), Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim.
Traditionally, the Nigerian stand is usually declared open by the Minister of Petroleum or Minister of State for Petroleum, supported by the Group Managing-Director of NNPC and its top officials, high top ranking federal government officials and National Assembly members.
However, this year, none of them came nor sent representatives.
Also conspicuously absent were most of the panelists which included Managing Directors of the International Oil Companies (IOCs).
It was only the Managing- Director of TotalEnergies, Mr Mike Sangster that sent a representative while Chevron Nigeria Chairman/MD, Rick Kennedy was also present.
Also absent was the chief upstream regulator of the industry, the Chief Executive Officer , Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr Gbenga Komolafe
