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Attah Hands Over NLNG’s Key To Mshelbila
The leadership transition period at Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) ended at the weekend in Port Harcourt with the former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Tony Attah, handing over the symbolic key to NLNG to his successor, Dr. Philip Mshelbila.
At a farewell and welcome ceremony held in honour of the executives, the NLNG Key changed hands, marking the ceremonial commencement of Dr. Mshelbila’s tenure.
The ceremony was graced by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike; Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki; the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote; NLNG Board Chairman, King Edmund Daukoru; NLNG Board members; NLNG Senior and Extended Management Team; and dignitaries in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and beyond.
In his farewell remarks, Attah said, “I thank the staff and our partners who helped achieve our set goals. It was a collective success. I would like to see the five years as foundational. Earlier, the ambition of the company was to build only two trains which was referred to as the Base Project.
“But we went on to build Trains 3, 4, 5, and 6. Then, we went into a break for 15 years. We pressed reset, released the ‘pause’ button, and got Train 7. But Train 7 is about the same capacity as Trains 1 and 2. For me, Train 7 is another base project, and we should go on to build other trains. I strongly believe we will.”
Receiving the NLNG Key, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, said he was honoured to lead the company, and vowed that the company would remain the leading LNG company in Africa and Nigeria’s most successful business model.
“It is with a great sense of responsibility that I stand here today, honoured to be the managing director of NLNG. The challenge before us is huge in a world marked by uncertainties and transitions, but I am not daunted. I am not daunted because I stand with a set of seasoned senior and extended management teams who are worth their weight in gold. I am not daunted because, together with the management team we have as members of staff, people who possess the right acumen and resilience, with deep passion and commitment to move Nigeria LNG forward. These are the people who build the Company to where it is today. I am humbled to lead them today.
“We will complete Train 7 and take more FIDs to secure our place in the global market. We will complete the Bonny-Bodo Road and so many other social projects to fulfill our vision of helping to build a better Nigeria,” he said.
In his keynote speech, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said the country needs technocrats like Attah, conferring on him the second-highest honour in Rivers State.
He added that the former MD stood firm and made NLNG great, adding that NLNG and Rivers State would never forget him.
He hoped that Mshelbila’s tenure would achieve more, urging him to continue from where Attah stopped.
In his remarks, the NLNG Board Chairman, King Edmund Daukoru commended Attah for performing to expectation and overcoming the challenges posed by the oil price crash in 2016 and Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, amongst other vital wins.
He assured Mshelbila of the board’s unflinching support to help achieve the company’s set goals.
The Deputy Managing Director, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, represented by General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Mrs. Eyono Fatayi-Williams, described Attah as a visionary leader who triggered the development of key strategies to mitigate risks to the business.
He also assured Mshelbila of the commitment of the management and staff to the success of the company.
It would be recalled that Attah left NLNG on August 31, to return to his parent company, Shell.
NLNG is owned by four shareholders: the Federal Government, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49%), Shell Gas BV (25.6%), Total Gaz Electricite Holdings France (15%), and Eni International NA N. V. S.àr. l (10.4%).
News
Rivers NIPR Gets New Executive

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Rivers State Chapter, has inaugurated a new Executive Council to pilot the affairs of the institute for the next two years.
The new Executive Council was elected during the maiden edition of the Rivers Public Relations Week and Annual General meeting held last Friday, in Port Harcourt.
The re-election marked a historic moment as members of the chapter converged to chart a new course for professional excellence, ethical standards, and the advancement of public relations practice in the State.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the institute, Ayodeji Emmanuel Afelumo, at the weekend.
The Registrar and Secretary to the NIPR Governing Council, Chief Uzoma Onyegbadue, who swore in the officers charged them to redouble their efforts in upholding professional integrity and excellence in public relations practices.
The officers re-elected for the second term include Rev. Francis Asuk as chairman, Dr. Parry Saroh Benson (Vice Chairman), Mr. Felix Tamuno (Secretary), Alhaja Ayo Odungweru (Treasurer), and Edna Alete as Financial Secretary.
Those with fresh tenure are Dr. Helen Chimezie who was elected as the Assistant Secretary, Mr. Ayodeji Emmanuel Afelumo (Public Relations Officer), and Mrs. Ngowari Oba as Welfare Officer, following the tenure expiration of the former officers.
In his acceptance remarks, Rev. Asuk expressed gratitude to members for their confidence and pledged to uphold the ideals of the institute, promote professional development, and foster partnerships that would further enhance the visibility of public relations in Rivers State and beyond.
The Rivers Public Relations Week is the first of its kind organised by a State chapter of the institute and it provided a platform for practitioners, scholars, and stakeholders to engage in knowledge-sharing, networking, and discussions on the evolving role of public relations in governance, business, and society.
The statement added that the Rivers State Chapter of the NIPR looks forward to a new era of purposeful leadership, innovation, and impact under the stewardship of its newly inaugurated executive council.
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Falana Gives Ken Saro-Wiwa, Others Clean Bill Of Health …As Activist Decries Marginalisation Of Ogoni People p6 lead

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana(SAN) has apparently exonerated the slain writer and environmental rights activist, Mr Ken Saro-Wiwa and his eight Ogoni kinsmen of the murder charge which led to their execution by hanging by the Gen Sani Abacha military junta on November 10, 1995.
This is even as a human rights activist, Evangelist Caroline Nagbo, has decried the spate of marginalisation against Ogoni people in Nigeria and Rivers State, saying, in spite of the struggles, sacrifices and contributions of the Ogoni people, they have continued to be marginalised, particularly in politics.
Falana, who bared his mind in a keynote address during the 30th Anniversary of the Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Lecture at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt on Friday, said the Ogoni nine never committed the crime for which they were hanged by the Federal Government.
On her part, Nagbo noted in a goodwill message at the event that despite the Ogoni people’s contributions, struggles and sacrifices, they continue to face exclusion and intimidation.
She decried a situation where people who hated Ken Saro-Wiwa during his lifetime, equally hate Ogoni people, because they consider them as very intelligent, stressing that instead of giving them political power, stooges are rather favoured.
According to her, Ogoni people must continue to speak out and agitate for their rights.
Nagbo further noted that the name of Ken Saro-Wiwa always evokes environment, minority and politics, emphasising that the legacies of the late environmental rights activist have continued to inspire and motivate the Ogoni people, and highlighted the significance of his birthday, which coincides with the Ogoni struggle for self-determination, environmental justice, and human rights.
She said the Federal Government’s treatment of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s memory and the Ogoni people is a reflection of the country’s flawed political system, and criticised politicians for their absence at events commemorating Ken Saro-Wiwa’s birthday and even illegal execution, attributing it to the marginalisation and intimidation faced by the Ogoni people.
“If you identify with Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni struggle, you are the enemy of the state, and that is marginalisation and intimidation,” she said.
Nagbo further lamented that despite the Ogoni people’s contributions to the country’s struggle for democracy, they are yet to be adequately rewarded.
“Politically, up till now, an Ogoni individual has never been a Governor, and they are not ready to give it to us, even in the next 30 years.The same thing they did to Ken Saro-Wiwa is the same thing they are doing to the Ogoni sons and daughters. They are manipulating it,” she said.
Nagbo praised the consistency of fiery human rights lawyer, Femi Falana(SAN), in championing the cause of the Ogoni people, saying, even Ken Saro-Wiwa was known for his consistency.
The keynote speaker, Mr Femi Falana actually chronicled the circumstances surrounding the hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his kinsmen on November 10, 1995, saying, they never committed the offence for which they were executed, and,therefore, deserve not only the recent pardon granted to them by the Federal Government but also exoneration and apology from the government.
Falana accused the state and Shell of masterminding the murder of four Ogoni sons, with the intent of roping in Ken Saro-Wiwa and the other Ogoni activists, saying, the execution of the Ogoni activists was premeditated.
According to him, when it was clear that the then Abacha military junta had already made up its mind to kill Ken Saro-Wiwa and others, the legal team defending them had no option than to withdraw from the trial in order not to give it legitimacy.
The human rights lawyer said the Ogoni people must be united today more than ever before to fight for their rights, stressing that the move for resumption of oil production in Ogoniland can only be justified when the ongoing cleanup of Ogoniland has attained an appreciable level.
He also applauded the siting of the Federal University of Environment and Technology in Ogoniland, but insisted that the university must employ Ogoni people to justify its establishment.
Falana said the time has come for the people of the Niger Delta region to demand accountability from the political class at all levels of governance in the region, saying, they are constitutionally empowered to find out how the 13 percent derivation funds and other funds are utilised.
According to him, the three percent fund stipulated and specified in the Petroleum Industry Act(PIA) is supposed to go directly to oil and gas bearing communities in the Niger Delta.
He also sympathised with Umuechem people for what befell them during the military regime, and decried a situation where oil companies failed in providing social amenities to the people, in spite of benefiting from the oil and gas deposits in their land.
He promised to set up a think tank of lawyers to advocate and ensure that oil and gas host communities in the country, particularly in the Niger Delta are provided social amenities.
Also, human rights and environment campaigner and one of the organisers of the event, Mr Celestine Akpobari thanked Femi Falana, Dr Nimo Bassey and other dignitaries and participants for gracing the event, which he described as the celebration of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s legacies.
He said the rush for the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland does not make any economic sense, and likened it to mopping the floor while the taps are open.
At the event, the panel of discussants consisted of Prof KialeeNyiayana of the University of Port Harcourt; Prof Lucky Akaruese of the University of Port Harcourt; Eze(Prof) Christian Akani of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education; and Leader of Ogoni People’s Assembly, Rev Probel Williams, while the moderator was Dr EmemOkon.
The discussants gave a good account of themselves, as they did not only dissect the keynote address presented by Femi Falana, giving more insights into it, but also did justice to the questions posed to them by the moderator, bordering on Ken Saro-Wiwa and his legacies, among other issues.
By: Donatus
News
Unveiling of $400million Otakaikpo crude oil Export Terminal; Monarch Hails Tinubu …lists Economic Benefits Of The Project

The monarch however decried inconsistent payment of the statutory 3 percent opex by the JV and expressed the hope that priority will be placed on the payment of the outstanding 3 percent for 2024 to the community HCDT.King Ikuru also urged the company to instruct the JV to provide electricity to the host community and stressed the need for Ikuru to be connected to the energy source as Otakaikpo marginal oil field.
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