Sylva To Speak On Oil Theft, Others At GbaramatuVoice Anniversary

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva will deliver a keynote address at the 7th anniversary lecture/Niger Delta awards 2022 of GbaramatuVoice newspaper in Abuja, next Tuesday. He is expected to proffer solutions to the menace of oil theft, as well as economic diversification.

Governors of Bayelsa and Benue States, Senator Duoye Diri and Dr. Samuel Ortom, as well as the chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, who will be special guests of honour, are among notable personalities expected at the event.

This was revealed in a statement by publisher and chief executive officer of the newspaper, Jacob Abai when he was announcing the programme of events scheduled for Tuesday, August 30 at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Sylva who is the keynote speaker will speak on the theme, ‘Oil, Politics, Securing National Assets, Dependency and Diversification’ at the event which will be chaired by the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Prince Adewole Adebayo.

Stating that the Deputy Governor of Delta state, Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, will be the Chief Host, the statement disclosed other expected dignitaries to include Dr. Efiong Akwa, interim administrator, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Engr. Simbi Wabote, executive secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB); Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive Officer, Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Mr. Richard Kennedy, chairman/managing director, Chevron Nigeria Limited.

It further stated that traditional rulers from the Niger Delta, captains of industries, and government functionaries among others, will also grace the occasion.

“The anniversary lecture will center on critical new research themes such as sustainable development goals in the Niger Delta. Its deliberations will address all spectra of analyses including the oil and gas industry.

“The GbaramatuVoice annual lecture has a rich history of promoting national unity, recognizing the good works of various individuals that have positively imprinted their names in various areas of human endeavors while contributing to the life chances of humanity,” part of the statement said.

Established in 2015, the newspaper continues to serve as a bridge between Niger Delta communities and the rest of the world.