Uche Usim, Abuja
Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Marlin Sylva and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari have pushed for greater women inclusion in activities around the oil and gas sector.
Sylva made the remarks on Tuesday when he received a high-level delegation of the Women in Energy Network (WIEN), an apolitical and non-profit organization, led by the President, Funmi Ogbue and Vice President (Downstream & Midstream Oil and Gas), Amina Maina.
The team also visited the GMD of NNPC later in the day. The visits were part of deliberate effort to align with the International Women’s Day activities for the month of March.
During the visit, Sylva affirmed that women were at the core of the industry and such powerful associations as WIEN will boost and signal the growth of diversity and inclusion in the sector.
He promised to push for the establishment of a women content board similar to the local content board that will work assiduously to emplace and encourage women’s participation in the oil and gas sector.
Earlier, WIEN President, Funmi Ogbue in her opening statement said that the essence of the visit was to bring the group’s existence into public awareness, noting that in closing the Nigerian energy gap, there was a need for a structured framework to be wholly adopted which WIEN has yielded itself to developing and implementing.
She name-checked WIEN as a credible platform that highlights the availability of credible and competent women in the energy sector. This was reiterated by the group’s Director of Business Development and Publicity, Charlotte Essiet who further stated that WIEN remains the leading Women Association that is committed to advancing women’s participation in the energy sector.
In her brief remarks, the group’s Vice President (Downstream & Midstream Oil and Gas), Amina Maina dubbed Sylva a pro-women leader, citing his unflinching support for women inclusion in every leadership position he has held in the past and in the present. She noted her trust that he will continue to lend his voice to the call for deepened inclusion of women in the oil and gas sector. She further affirmed that WIEN will work actively to support, collaborate and participate in causes for the advancement and placement of highly qualified women with proven capabilities and excellence in the sector. She pledged that WIEN in telling its story of growth will always namecheck Chief Sylva’s support.
The visiting team, which comprised of its Board of Trustees members, founding members, and core Directors, later in a visit to NNPC GMD Mele Kolo Kyari acquainted the GMD of its activities stating that the NNPC remained an important institution to promoting women inclusion in the sector.
Mallam Kyari promised that NNPC as the number energy organisation in the country will continue to promote the elevation women to senior positions just like it is currently doing.
The GMD called on WIEN to carry along women in the NNPC as they would be critical to the furtherance of WIEN objectives.
WIEN was established in January 2020 to provide a platform for Women that work across the Energy Sector value chain; to network and build confidence and links to progress their careers or businesses.