I want to thank every one of the 2,150 participants that logged in, and mostly stayed all through the presentation. The presence of The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN GCON, Elder Statesman Rtd General T.Y. Danjuma, the Minister of State Petroleum Resources, His Excellency Timipre Sylva, the Algerian Minister of Energy and APPO President, His Excellency Abdelmajid Attar, the Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbon, Equatorial Guinea, His Excellency Gabriel Obiang Lima, the OPEC Secretary General, His Excellency Sanusi Barkindo, the Secretary General of APPO, His Excellency Dr. Omar Farouk, the Executive Governor of Edo State, His Excellency Godwin Obaseki, and Pastor Tunde Bakare, kept the audience glued till the end.
Also, behind the scenes, the many dignitaries, Heads of Parastatals, Ministers of Arab and African countries, oil industry chieftains, lawyers, entrepreneurs and many more, all gave their time to join and participate. I thank you all.
I particularly thank the book presenters, Messrs Austin Avuru, Abdulrazaq Isa, His Excellency Sanusi Barkindo and His Excellency Godwin Obaseki for their kindness in presenting the books; Nigerian Foreign Investment Law and Policy (Second Edition), Gas Development in Nigeria: Legal and Policy Framework, Nigerian Petroleum Industry: 2015 to the Future, and Nigerian Law of Contract: Study Companion.
Of course, the powerful prayers led by renowned Pastor Bakare provided the blessing of the day. Did you notice that even the internet stayed loyal to God’s commands and there was no break in the live event? Thank you God.
In my previous acknowledgments, I left out the amazing support I received from all Chief Operating Officers of NNPC, and Heads of Parastatals during the time of my service, and the name of one man who worked closely with me in shaping and revamping our crude sales policies and processes. He spent sleepless nights with me during the fuel crises of 2015, and remained supportive throughout my tenure. I refer to Mele Kyari, the current Group Managing Director of NNPC.
Two people who also played important roles in policy reviews, initiation and execution, and so indirectly helped provide working materials for the books were the late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, and Dr Maikanti Baru, the former NNPC GMD. May their souls rest in peace.
And so we draw the curtains of this event, as tomorrow we begin focusing on the challenges life throws at us. I have always said that our country Nigeria is extemely blessed and our only limitations are us, the citizens. There is much resource to harness, much excellence to celebrate and enough space in this horizon for many stars. I pray for us all and for our country, that we may leap with boldness into tapping our collective resources and skills to make this country easily the best and most adorable on earth. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, but only nations that make haste and take leaps can make it to the front line.
Today, I cut the tape on this effort but this column will remain to provide weekly write ups on motivational talks, oil and energy industry reviews and opinions, shared parenting experiences, and matters of human interest. God bless you all.
P.S. for those who were unable to attend or want to revisit tapes of the event, we are providing a YouTube link below for your access.
We are also detailing below the links for the electronic copies of the book and also how to get hard copies of the book.
So long.
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