The newly inaugurated leadership of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Uyo chapter, has been tasked with upholding high professional standards and fostering collaboration to expand the organization’s network. the call was made by Hajia Amina Danmadami, the chairman of the SPE council, during the inauguration event on Saturday in Ikom Ekpene.
The Uyo chapter, which is formally designated as section 255, was established on March 1, marking its place as the sixth SPE section in Nigeria. Danmadami expressed her excitement about the expansion, urging the new chapter’s executive to “collaborate with other sections and learn from them.” she emphasized that such cooperation is vital for the chapter’s growth and the overall advantage of the professional body in the country’s petroleum industry.
the message highlights the strategic importance of building a strong and interconnected network to drive innovation and maintain excellence in the oil and gas sector.
“Also endeavour to leverage the partnership we have already established as a council to break newer grounds,” she said.
Earlier in his keynote address, Dr Riverson Oppong, the African Regional Director, described the establishment of the Uyo section as a remarkable achievement.
He said that the new section was a testament to the council’s extraordinary growth and unwavering dedication to advancing SPE across Nigeria.
“The creation of Uyo section will bring SPE closer to its goal of fostering a safe, secure and sustainable energy future.
“Establishing the Uyo section is in line with SPE’s mission to connect a community of engineers, scientists, and professionals for knowledge exchange and innovation,” he said.
Mr Olivier Houzé, the SPE President, said that having a new section in Uyo was not only a great leap, but another proof of SPE’s dynamism in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
Houzé said that although Nigeria had been at the heart of SPE’s regional development, the Uyo section was in the context of a wider, Pan-African development of SPE.
“The growth of SPE in Sub-Saharan Africa is not only a need, it is becoming a reality, and the creation of this new section is yet another data point which illustrates this trend,” he said.
In his speech, the newly inaugurated chairman, Nkese Essien, pledged to promote environmental responsibility and other values of the profession.
Essien further said that the section would embark on programmes that focused on waste management, emission reduction, biodiversity protection, and integration of renewables into petroleum operations.
“Our goal is to help to demonstrate that environmental excellence and operational effectiveness can coexist, and should coexist” he said.
