Mshelbila Promises Early Completion of Train 7
By Teddy Nwanunobi
The new Managing Director of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Dr. Philip Mshelbila, has assured early completion of the Train 7 project, as well as executing more Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) to secure a place in the global market.
Msheibila also said that the company will complete the Bonny-Bodo Road and so many other social projects to fulfill its vision of helping to build a better Nigeria.
He gave the assurances at the leadership transition period in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when the former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Tony Attah, handed over the symbolic key to NLNG to him.
At the farewell and welcome ceremony held in honour of the executives, the NLNG Key changed hands, marking the ceremonial commencement of Mshelbila’s tenure.
The ceremony was graced by the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Barrister Nyesom Wike; Executive Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki; the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote; NLNG Board Chairman, HM (Dr.) Edmund Daukoru; NLNG Board members; NLNG Senior and Extended Management Team; and dignitaries in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and beyond.
“I thank the staff and our partners who helped achieve our set goals. It was a collective success. I would like to see the five years as foundational. Earlier, the ambition of the company was to build only two trains which was referred to as the Base Project. But we went on to build Trains 3,4,5, and 6. Then, we went (on) a break for 15 years. We pressed reset, released the ‘pause’ button, and got Train 7. But Train 7 is about the same capacity as Trains 1 and 2. For me, Train 7 is another base project, and we should go on to build other trains. I strongly believe we will,” Attah said.
Receiving the NLNG Key, Mshelbila said that he was honoured to lead the company, and vowed that the company would remain the leading LNG company in Africa, and Nigeria’s most successful business model.
“It is with a great sense of responsibility that I stand here today, honoured to be the Managing Director of NLNG. The challenge before us is huge in a world marked by uncertainties and transitions, but I am not daunted. I am not daunted because I stand with a set of seasoned senior and extended management teams who are worth their weight in gold. I am not daunted because, together with the management team we have as members of staff, people who possess the right acument and resilience, with deep passion and commitment to move Nigeria LNG forward. These are the people who build the Company to where it is today. I am humbled to lead them today,” Mshelbila said.
In his keynote speech, Wike stated that the country needs technocrats like Attah, conferring on him the second-highest honour in Rivers State.
He added that the former MD stood firm and made NLNG great. He stated that NLNG and Rivers State would never forget him.
He also said that Mshelbila’s tenure would achieve more, urging him to continue from where Attah stopped.
The NLNG Board Chairman, in his remarks, commended Attah for performing to expectation, and overcoming the challenges posed by the oil price crash in 2016 and COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, amongst other vital wins.
He assured Mshelbila of the Board’s unflinching support to help achieve the company’s set goals.
The Deputy MD, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, represented by Mrs. Eyono Fatayi-Williams, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, described Attah as a visionary leader who triggered the development of key strategies to mitigate risks to the business.
He also assured Mshelbila of the commitment of the management and staff to the success of the company.
Attah left NLNG on August 31, to return to his parent company, Shell.
