Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) has announced a shift in the date of its proposed two-day sensitization seminar on local content development in the oil and gas and shipping industry.
The event which was billed to be chaired by the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and co-chaired by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki was initially scheduled to hold on Tuesday 21st of August, 2018.
However in a press statement issued by the Secretary General of MARAN, Dapo Olawuni in Lagos on Thursday, the association announced that the event would now hold on 28th of August, 2018 at the Rockview Hotel in Apapa, Lagos.
According to the MARAN scribe, “MARAN craves the understanding of all maritime, oil and gas industry stakeholders on the shift in date of this event, in view of the Salah holidays; the shift in date is inevitable.
“The new date is also to allow for a robust participation and attendance, especially our revered stakeholders and policy makers whose position papers must be carried on that set date”, he said.
Olawuni said the event is targeted at encouraging Nigerians to be fully integrated in the oil and gas logistics operation particularly in the upstream sector.
He noted that a special focus is being placed on the EGINA Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform recently delivered by TOTAL Nigeria Limited.
The two days seminar tagged, “Local Content Development in Shipping, Oil and Gas Logistics Operations in Nigeria”.
Already, he said that the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has indicated his interest to participate in the program as the state has recently joined the list of oil producing states in Nigeria.
In the same vein, Olawuni said special focus is equally on Edo State which has signed a memorandum of understanding with a consortium of Chinese and African companies for the construction of a 5,500 barrel per day modular refinery, states first refinery.
Maritime and Oil and Gas dignitaries billed to speak at the event includes the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring board, Mr. Simbi Wabote, Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporations, Maikanti Baru, the Managing Director of Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, Umana Okon Umana, as well as the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside.
Others are; Managing Director of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL) Mrs. Ammy Jadesinmi, Group General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) Mr. Roland Ewubare, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) among others.
The MARAN secretary, Mr. Olawuni stated that “As maritime journalists, we believe that the benefits of Nigeria’s participation in the oil and gas logistics operation would add to the multiplier effects in employment opportunities, capacity building, technology transfer, cost-saving and reduction in capital flight.
“It will in addition make Nigeria an oil and gas hub in the West African sub-region”
Olawuni also said that the event is to further showcase the importance of the shipping sector to the oil and gas industry and the need for more Nigerians to be aware and take advantage of opportunities in the local content law, the Cabotage Act among others.
He said that MARAN is the umbrella body of all maritime journalists in Nigeria and the association has existed for the past 30 years, thus carrying out the noble objective of agenda setting for critical stakeholders and the federal government towards enhancing policy formulation and implementation.
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