The Petroleum Membership, Africa’s first-of-its-kind coverage advocacy group within the hydrocarbon sector, will maintain a lavish dinner in Lagos subsequent week to have a good time one among its founding fathers, Atuekong Don Etiebet, on the event of his eightieth birthday.
The membership is made up of leaders within the Nigerian oil and gasoline business and revered professionals related to the business. The dinner occasion holds on the Metropolitan Membership, Victoria Island, the unique, members-only elite membership. He has requested me to attend the dinner as his visitor, noting, ‘’I’m not inviting you as a journalist. I’m inviting you as a buddy’’. Classic Atuekong! Chief Etiebet is a pioneer in ICT, a towering determine in enterprise and the petroleum business. His landmark accomplishments are properly documented. He was Petroleum and Mineral Sources Minister from 1993 to 1995, throughout which the enduring NNPC Towers in Abuja have been constructed and the development of the NLNG was relaunched with appreciable help from the federal government that ultimately led to its completion after a 35-year stagnancy. He was additionally performed essential roles within the institution of the Petroleum Belief Fund (PTF), an interventionist company, which was headed by former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, a retired basic. The PTF is credited for enormous infrastructural growth, utilizing funds saved from partial withdrawal of gasoline subsidy which despatched petrol value from N3/litre to N12/litre. As Minister, Etiebet additionally launched many reforms within the oil business, together with strengthening the DPR an essential regulatory company.
As Petroleum Minister, Etiebet had the foresight and sound judgement about deep offshore oil manufacturing as the brand new frontier of oil and gasoline manufacturing within the nation. he authorized the primary ever deep-water offshore oil and gasoline exploration and manufacturing program pioneered by Shell in 1994. Right this moment, the Bonga oil fields on the Atlantic Ocean is the nation’s most resourceful offshore manufacturing platform. It’s a surprise that regardless of his deep involvement within the business as minister, Atuekong has no single oil discipline (both OPL, OML or marginal oil discipline) allotted to him. That’s the nature of a typical Akwa Ibom man – honesty, integrity and transparency. On this nation, his breed is uncommon. Many oil ministers that got here after him are nonetheless engulfed in scandals. We’re conscious of girlfriends of high army leaders who have been allotted oil blocs and immediately they’re very wealthy!
Atuekong can also be a pioneer and colossus in enterprise, particularly the ICT and actual property. He’s the Chairman of Obodex Group which contains 12 companies within the ICT, oil and gasoline and property growth. In recognition of his contributions, President Jonathan embellished him with the nationwide honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). Professionally, he’s additionally been broadly celebrated, a mirrored image of his broad footprints within the nation’s company terrain. He’s Fellow of the Nigeria Laptop Society (FNCS); Fellow of the Laptop Registration Council of Nigeria (FCPNS); Fellow of the Nigerian Mining Geosciences Society (FNMGS); Member of Society of Petroleum Engineers (MSPE); Member of Nigerian Affiliation of Petroleum Explorationists (MNAPE); Member of American Affiliation of Petroleum Geologist (MAAPG), amongst different skilled laurels. I have no idea of some other Nigerian that’s so properly embellished and achieved within the petroleum and ICT sectors as Atuekong Don Obot Etiebet. But, he’s unassuming and self-effacing. He belongs to the previous generations of Nigerians who made cash and created wealth from exhausting work, business and grit.
Etiebet is a family title in Nigeria and a proud Akwa Ibom chief. His elder brother, Donald, was a senator and later governor of Cross River State within the Second Republic when Shehu Shagari was President. He died at 81 in 2015. The title can also be prominently emblazoned on a excessive rise constructing in Ikeja, close to Sheraton Resort in Lagos. Etiebet Place, in-built 1992, stands as a towering testimony to the enterprise sagacity of this latest octogenarian. After acquiring a Masters diploma in Utilized Geophysics from the College of Western Ontario, Canada, and dealing within the oil business in that nation and in Shell Petroleum in Holland, younger Don Etiebet (his full title is Donatus) returned to Nigeria in September 1971 to start out constructing his companies. The primary was Earth Sciences Restricted, established in 1972 as the primary Nigerian-owned firm in geophysical prospecting and pc information processing providers.
The corporate grew quickly and in 1979, Etiebet based Knowledge Sciences Nigeria Restricted (DSNL) to take over the pc companies of Earth Sciences. It was the unique distributor for the the US-based Digital Gear Company (DEC). DEC was the was the pioneer producer of interactive computer systems and largest producers of mini computer systems on the planet. Knowledge Sciences supplied pc {hardware} and software program to the oil business, and later in different areas like schooling, banking and within the utilities sectors. In 1980, he established one other firm, OBODEX Nigeria, which, in 1990, launched the primary ever Nigerian model title in private computer systems, referred to as OBODEX PCs. OBODEX PCs launched the primary keyboard with the Naira signal. Lots of of younger Akwa Ibom individuals, a few of whom have change into enterprise leaders and political chieftains immediately, acquired their first jobs within the make use of of Chief Etiebet. Lots of them arrived Lagos from their villages and hamlets for the primary time within the Eighties and ‘90s to select up their first jobs at OBODEX Group. They owe the previous man a lifetime of gratitude.
His firm was the primary to put in computer-based communications techniques linking oil platforms in Warri and Portharcourt and houses of the oil executives within the two places. This was the forerunner of what now we have now as e-mail and Web connectivity; and for his pioneering roles, he has remained a trustee of the Nigeria Web Group which he helped discovered. Atuekong Etiebet contributed immensely to the institution of Nationwide Info Expertise Improvement Company (NITDA) that’s answerable for the formulation of presidency’s insurance policies on ICT. His pioneering works additionally led to the institution of Nigeria Communications Fee (NCC), the regulatory company for ICT, of which he was a pioneer director.
Chief Etiebet’s chieftaincy title, Atuekong, means the lead warrior. It’s a becoming recognition for a person who has spent his assets preventing for the poor and underprivileged within the society and the event of his native Akwa Ibom State. He and his elder brother, Senator Etiebet, are a few of those that fought for the creation of the state. Atuekong himself fought assiduously for the abrogation of the obnoxious onshore-offshore oil dichotomy that ultimately led to the fee of big oil revenues to Akwa Ibom State. In my e-book revealed in December, 2021, titled ‘’Inside Story of the Combat for the Abrogation of the Onshore-Offshore Oil Dichotomy’’, I recognized and celebrated Atuekong, with 12 others, for his heroic contributions to that battle. Since President Obasanjo signed the abrogation invoice in 2004, Akwa Ibom has been receiving large sums of cash in derivation funds and FAAC allocations each month, and it’s the explanation the state has grown fairly quickly within the final 20 years. I urge the state authorities to have a good time Chief Etiebet and the opposite women and men, together with Obong Victor Attah and Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who performed essential roles in that combat.
Etiebet has additionally been a notable participant in Nigerian politics. He was the founder and financier of a significant political occasion, Nigeria Middle Occasion (NCP), throughout the transition programme of Common Sani Abacha. He ran for the presidency of the nation underneath the occasion’s platform, gathering appreciable nationwide enchantment and help. However unknown to him and lots of others, Abacha was deceitfully and cunningly planning to transmute from a army chief to a lifelong political Head of State. Abacha compelled Etiebet and others to desert their political ambitions in in 1997 with a view to perpetuate himself in energy, however thankfully, the brutal dictator died instantly in 1998, paving the best way for a extra real transition program midwifed by Gen.
Abdulsalami Abubarkar. Etiebet then teamed up with different notable politicians to discovered the PDP, on which he additionally ran for president on the Jos conference in February 1999. He later joined the All Nigeria Peoples Occasion (ANPP) and was elected its Nationwide Chairman in 2003, thus changing into the primary, and to this point, the one Akwa Ibom individual to steer a nationwide political platform. In 2014, he decamped to the APC in an enormous rally in Uyo that was attended by Gen. Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That’s after I acquired very near him.
Atuekong turned 80 on Sunday, September 15; and he’s been receiving hundreds of goodwill messages from far and vast, inside and outdoors Nigeria. A couple of years in the past, he suffered a severe well being setback, however he recovered quickly after. God in his infinite mercies confirmed him mercy as a result of Atuekong is stuffed with love and goodness. Pleased birthday, pricey Atuekong.
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