THE Society for Petroleum Engineers (SPE) has solicited the support of the new NNPC management led by the Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Engr Austen Olusegun Oniwon even as it also poured accolades and encomiums on the corporation’s management.

The SPE specifically sought  the GMD’s support towards the forthcoming Nigerian Annual International Conference & Exhibition (NAICE 2010) taking place at TINAPA, Calabar, Cross River State from July 31st to August 7th, 2010.
The accolades and encomiums came from the leadership of the Society for Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Nigeria Council, which paid the GMD a courtesy visit in his office at the NNPC Towers on Friday.

Chairman of the Group,Mr. Anthony Abolarin congratulated the GMD over his appointment, describing it as “well_deserved for a very experienced hand in the industry.”

He said they were in NNPC to express their appreciation to the Corporation over the “wonderful
He said the organisation has invited the Heads of State and oil and gas experts from Angola, Congo DR, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and Uganda to the forthcoming conference.

Responding, the GMD extolled the virtues of the SPE, noting that it is one of the “most focused and well_organised associations in the oil and gas industry.”

Narrating how he also became a member of the organisation, the GMD said he was in Malaysia for one of their Conferences and was impressed by the quality of their papers and presentation.

“Having seen the value the organisation is adding to the industry and how they help young engineers grow their potentials, I had to take up their membership right over there in Malaysia,” Oniwon stated.
He expressed optimism that with the level of commitment they’ve shown for years and the quality of topics/issues outlined for the Conference; it will surely be an “event worth attending”.

He also expressed his readiness to lead them on a courtesy call to the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison_Madueke towards ensuring the success of their conference.

The SPE is the largest individual membership organisation serving practically every type of professional working in the E& P segments of the world-wide oil and gas industry.

With a membership of over 2, 000 professionals in Nigeria, it provides a global forum for the exchange of technology to meet the world’s energy needs both today and in the future.

The SPE NAICE Conference is also the largest upstream oil and gas event in Africa which has been holding annually in Nigeria for the past 33 years. This year’s theme is Meeting World’s Energy Supply and Demand Mix: The Role of Africa.