-By Danlami Nasir Isah
After the completion of his primary and secondary education, Sambo attended the University of Jos (1981 to 1986), where he graduated with Bachelor of Engineering in Design and Production. Knowing the value of education, Sambo proceeded to obtain a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Ibadan in 1990.
Sambo, who joined the services of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 1999, and was posted to Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) as a Mechanical/Planning Engineer, rose through the ranks over the years to become the Managing Director, NPDC.
Records indicate that Sambo pioneered the Nigeria daily crude oil and gas production reporting at Exploration and Production (E&P) Directorate; he coordinated the completion and delivery for the multi-million dollar shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) Bonny Terminal Project where he obtained the Shell Managing Director’s Merit Award.
He also established an Electronic Data base of crude oil loading, transportation and off-take. All these, no doubt, contributed immensely to the development of the industry.
Over the years, Sambo has built a healthy career, which are evident in his membership of various professional bodies that include: corporate member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Fellow of Solar Energy Society of Nigeria (SESN), Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), member of the American society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), member of American Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), and member of the Quality Control Society of Nigeria.
Sambo’s achievements in the oil and gas industry include: coordinating government’s crude oil entitlement from all NNPC/ Federal Government Crude Oil Production Contracts Joint Ventures, Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs), and Modified Carry Agreements (MCAs), pioneering the establishment of a sustainable framework for the recovery of overriding crude oil royalties by marginal oil fields operators, developing of an enduring mechanism for improved government revenue shares from dispute-ridden 1993 production sharing contracts (PSCs), contributed significantly to Fund Sourcing Processes (FSPs) for various NNPC and federation projects, including cash calls arrears repayment, participated in the Petroleum Industry Bill –(PIB) reframing exercise from OGIC, participated in the development of Akpo field production – lifting agreement, established an electronic database of crude oil loading, transportation, and off-take; and participated in the development of operational guidelines, training manuals, and organising training exercises for all NNPC operators across 24 terminals.
Sambo will be remembered for his role in the completion and commissioning of Integrated Gas Handling Facility (IGHF) and Liquefied Gas Storage and Dispensing Plants in Oredo, Edo state which was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2020. And the historic final completion and movement to the new state of the art NPDC’s head office which ends decades of huge office facility rent payment for the national oil company’s strategic arm.