Being Welcome Address delivered By The Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of The VALUECHAIN Group, Musa Bashir Usman At The 5th VALUECHAIN Annual Lecture And Awards Held In Abuja On July 25, 2022
I am excited to welcome you all to the 5TH Valuechain Annual Lecture and Awards. We are deeply honoured and do not take for granted the time and resources you have sacrificed to make it here physically.
Today’s lecture and awards consolidates on the remarkable successes this event has achieved from four previous editions. Just to refresh your memory, the launch of our flagship magazine ‘The Valuechain’ on Tuesday July 10, 2018 coincided with the maiden edition of today’s event.
That inaugural public lecture set the tone and laid the solid foundation for the successes, garlands and accolades that have continued to be showered on MBdotCom Media Associates, organizers of this lecture till date. Since then, the Valuechain Annual Lecture and Awards has continued to provide a formidable platform where decision makers and stakeholders deliberate policy announcements, explore partnership opportunities and discuss strategies that will drive the nation towards energy Security and Sufficiency.
The event has provided a platform for public and private sector to discuss plans for policy, upcoming projects and solutions to current challenges in the industry.
Our country today is faced with multitude of challenges, one of which is the requirement for a careful balancing of the aspirations of Energy Transition and Energy Security; amid the immediate aspiration to divest the economy from monolithic revenue source to reliable multiple revenue sources economy.
However, In planning our energy future, the nexus between net zero carbon emissions policy and energy-poverty have to be both addressed simultaneously. For countries such as Nigeria, the transition must not come at the expense of affordable and reliable energy for people. The industry in Nigeria must make choices that would secure energy future and also secure the environment. Fortunately, Nigeria has made a choice with the adoption of gas as transition fuel as evident in the decade of gas mantra of the federal government spearheaded by President Muhammadu Buhari and lieutenants led by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.
The choice of the theme of this year’s lecture “The impact of Nigerian Content Law: Taking a Cue from the Successes in the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry,” was informed by the need to support the Federal Government’s effort in diversifying the economy from excessive reliance on the proceeds of oil export by setting an agenda that will reenergise and give more life to other important sectors of our economy through harnessing of opportunities abound in local content exploration and exploitation as being done in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry.
The achievements recorded in the oil and gas industry through the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) 2010 and the imperative for the Act to be extended to other key sectors of the economy such as; Automotive, Real Estate/Construction, Manufacturing and ICT; as these industries holds the key of success to the federal government’s diversification agenda.
In advocating for extension of local content to other key economic sectors, some of the key questions and posers we expect this lecture will resolve are whether we need a new law similar to the NOGICD Act for these sectors or whether we strongly believe that there is no need to create multiple regulators of local content in Nigeria but modify NCDMB’s template to suit other sectors.
We hope that this event will serve as a Special Purpose Vehicle to galvanise multi-sectoral support for NCDMB’s advocacy for the extension of the Nigerian Content Act, towards securing the buy-in of the National Assembly to reconsider the process for amendment of the Act to cover other sectors of the economy.
At this juncture, I will like to appreciate our panelists and moderator for accepting our request to feature in the panel session. Special thanks to the ES of NCDMB Engr. Simbi K. Wabote, the DG, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) Mr. Jelani Aliyu, MFR; President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Engr. Mansur Ahmed and the DG National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi and our own veteran broadcaster Mrs. Omotayo Omotosho, MFR, who is also a member, Valuechain Editorial Advisory Council.
To the sponsors and partners, I say thank you for making this event a reality.
During the event, some notable individuals and organizations will be honoured with Awards for their contributions to the development of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. One of them, is the late former Secretary General of OPEC, and global energy leader, HE. Dr. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, who will be honoured with Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award for his immense contributions to the global energy industry.
Until his death, HE. Barkindo was the pioneer Alternate Chairman of the Valuechain Editorial Advisory Council, an eight-member Council of seasoned, eminent and internationally recognized personalities, offering voluntary advisory counsel to the Valuechain Group, helping to steer the editorial direction of this fast-rising unique media establishment.
Many of us are yet to come to terms with the reality that our beloved Barkindo is no more. He was suppose to Chair this very event today. He attended last year’s event virtually, where he described the last edition as ‘extremely timely’, because that day – July 12, 2021 coincided with the 50th Anniversary of Nigeria’s membership of OPEC. According to him, the day was a seminal moment for the country and for OPEC.
How could the pilot who weathered the storm of two major oil circles – the severe market downturn in 2015 and 2016, and the almighty COVID-19 pandemic die after the whole threats have disappeared? Did he die from the ‘hidden injuries’ he sustained during the voyage?
Wali, as he was popularly called, was phenomenal! A great son of Africa who fought for equity and justice in energy transition has gone home to rest.
Any time I think of his family – his aged mother, wives, his children, relatives and close associates, I usually ask myself who will fill the vacuum His Excellency has created. But I take solace in the enduring legacies that he left while on earth. To the Barkindo household, you can consider me as a member of your family.
I would not end this address without saying a big congratulations to all our distinguished and deserving awardees and to everyone who has made out time to be at this event.
Thank you and have a successful deliberation.