Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMD), will deliver the Ninth Anniversary Lecture of Realnews Magazine on Thursday, November 18, at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, by 10 am prompt.

“Nigeria in the Unfolding Integration of the African Market: The Oil and Gas Perspective” is the topic of the Lecture.

Maureen Chigbo, publisher of Realnews Magazine Online, said: “Our choice of the 2021 topic is borne out of the realisation that at present, the Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on oil. As we think of weaning the country of this dependency and lay emphasis on gas (especially with the declaration of the decade for gas in Nigeria by the federal government), we believe speakers at the lecture can provide a guide to achieve this objective, especially as more oil and gas are being discovered in countries in Africa at a time the integration of the African market through the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) has begun and emphasis is shifting to sustainable renewable energy resources.”

According to her, “the Lecture is also an opportunity to discuss Africa’s economic development, especially against the background of ongoing debate on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, AfCFTA, whose implementation began on January 2021, amidst the controversy over the adoption of a regional currency by the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and how this will affect exploitation of oil and gas resources in Nigeria and the continent in general.

Chigbo, who made the announcement on Sunday, October 31, added that: “The lecture presents an opportunity for different experts to share their experiences on economic development in Africa with a mix of the growing audience following Realnews Magazine services on various media platforms. The Lecture is expected to have massive positive impact on the society.”

Like in previous occasions, it will also feature a stimulating Panel Discussion by economic experts with guaranteed audience participation.

Prior to his appointment as the executive secretary, Wabote worked briefly in the banking sector before joining Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Nigeria Limited, where he rose to the position of an Executive Director and the General Manager Business and Government Relations for Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN).

Before taking up his role as an executive director, he had served Shell in various senior positions within and outside the country in Engineering, Contracting & Procurement, External Affairs and Community Affairs Directorates. As head of Civil Engineering in Shell Eastern Division, he was responsible for major key civil engineering projects for the company, including the Shell Osubi airport in Warri Delta State, Nigeria. He served as the National Assembly Relations adviser to Shell and was the general manager, Local Content Development of Shell Exploration Production Company in Nigeria, SEPCiN. He was responsible for the development of Royal Dutch Shell’s local content strategy and framework and supervised Shell Local Content implementation across several countries including Nigeria, Gabon, Brunei, Oman, Kazakhstan, Australia, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, USA and new frontier countries for Shell.

Wabote holds an MSc from Leeds Metropolitan University, Graduate of Civil Engineering from Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt and a graduate of INSEAD group leadership programme. He is also a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a COREN registered engineer and a member Institute of Civil Engineers, London.

Realnews past anniversary lecturers include Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation and chairman, Presidential TaskForce of COVID-19 (2020); President John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana (2019); Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigeria INEC, (2018); Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and Vice President, World Bank (2017), Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head, United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (2016); Professor Chukwuma Soludo, former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, (2015), and Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, (2014).

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