Okoroafor Emerges New Chairman As Petan Holds Election

BEVERLY HILLS, March 13, (THEWILL) – The Petroleum and Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) has elected new executive members, with Bank-Anthony Okoroafor emerging as the new Chairman.

He was elected along with other new executives, including: Gbolahan Lawal, the Secretary; Wole Ogunsanya, the Assistant Secretary; Emmanuel Onyekwena (Ex-Officio), and Chubby Ibe (Ex-Officio).

Other board executive members include: Geoff Onuoha, the Vice Chairman; Sheba Palama, Treasurer; Edith Akwaeke, Financial Secretary; Ranti Omole, the Conference Chairman, and Nik Odinuwe, the Publicity Secretary.

Okoroafor, who commented shortly after the election during the annual general meeting of the association, promised that he would work with all the stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to further deepen the local content policy of the Federal Government for the benefits of the sector and the Nigerian economy.

He added that since the advent of the Nigerian Content Act, indigenous companies had continued to prove that appreciable development in the nation's hydrocarbon industry could only be achieved by Nigerians themselves.

Okoroafor, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive of CB Geophysical Solutions, commended the efforts of his predecessors for laying a very solid foundation for the association to be built upon by future leaders.

“PETAN has become a force to be reckon with within the oil and gas industry, because of the tireless works of it former leaders,” he said, and promised to work with the new executives to take the association to greater height.

He also vowed to join hands with other executive members to ensure that indigenous oil companies, especially those in the oil servicing subsector of the industry, continue to contribute their quota to the industry adding that they were making meaningful contribution in the nation's oil and gas industry development

“This has been demonstrated by the foray into the deepwater, which has been hitherto seen as the exclusive preserve of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) by some of the indigenous companies,” he said.

“PETAN believes that Nigerian companies have actually derived unique solutions to solve trying problems, especially in the difficult terrain of deepwater.”

Story by David Oputah