Olaseni Durojaiye
Nigeria’s leading indigenous oil and gas company, Oando Plc has held a two-day knowledge transfer session with Masters of Oil and Gas Law (LL.M) students from the Strathmore University Law School, Nairobi, Kenya at its head office in Victoria Island, Lagos.
In a statement by its Corporate Communication Office, Oando was selected by the university as the preferred indigenous sector leader for the academia visit on the basis of its knowledge pool gained from operational experience across the full energy value chain, success stories of pioneering initiatives within the sector, a diverse and local workforce and finally its impact on both the local and African oil and gas industry.
The statement said the students wanted to acquire firsthand knowledge of the Nigerian oil and gas sector and take practical learning to apply to the nascent Kenyan oil sector on conclusion of their studies.
According to the statement, Oando gave the students the indigenous perspective, specifically the process of building an indigenous company to international standards in a dynamic environment as well as a 360 degree session on the company’s operations in the full energy value chain.
On day one, the statement said the students “were opportune to learn the intricacies and the importance of Environment, Health, Safety, Security and Quality (EHSSQ) in the oil sector facilitated by Kayode Boladale General Manager, Operations Integrity, Oando Energy Resources, the upstream subsidiary of Oando PLC.”
Cited in the statement, Oando’s commercial team led by Akinbambo Ibidapo-Obe, General Manager, Commercial, took the students on a virtual tour of the company’s assets, current and future production capabilities and prospects for the future. Following in quick succession was a session by the Legal department, which the students were very keen on, being Masters of Oil and Gas Law (LL.M) students.
Also, the Senior Legal Advisor, Efuntomi Akpeneye spoke about the difference between in-house and public lawyers, explaining the various legal regulations guiding the industry and how these have evolved over time.
Speaking at the training session, a student from the university, Faith Waigwa said Oil and gas experience from an African company done by Africans was the kind of knowledge they sought.
According to the student, our expectations for this visit have been surpassed. We have a proper benchmark in Nigeria. We are so grateful for the fact that we’ve had insight from knowledgeable individuals from a cross section of departments on various aspects of the business and sector. It has
truly been a robust learning experience.
In his message, the Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC, Adewale Tinubu shared his experience as a trained lawyer who from a young age realized his passion, strength and future lay in entrepreneurship, the building of an indigenous oil and gas company and his aspirations for the sector.
Another student from the university, Purity Wangigi said she “is in awe of Tinubu and all that he had achieved at such a young age. Oando is an easy search anywhere in the world. Oando for us is a proper learning experience. The employees are young, vibrant and literally bursting with knowledge.”
The students were then educated on the intricacies of the downstream trading business via a session led by Effanga Effanga, Head, Business Development, Oando Trading a subsidiary of Oando PLC. The concluding session for the day was from Oando’s gas affiliate Axxela who spoke about the challenges and opportunities that exist within the Nigerian gas sector.
On the second day, the students were invited to a tour of the company’s downstream affiliate OVH Energy in Apapa.
On conclusion of the tour, Micheal Horeria another student said the visit to Nigeria “to spend time with both the private sector and Government will save Kenya from potential pitfalls. What you are doing here at Oando can be replicated across Africa.
“The leadership, the quality of work, the talent pool, their in-depth knowledge is evidence of great investment and real added value to both the business and the sector.”
