The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has called for more leadership roles for women in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, made the call while speaking to journalists on the side-lines of the Department of Petroleum Resources Woman-in-PENGASSAN maiden award ceremony in Abuja.
He said, “We have women across boards of different oil companies, both private and public. The oil and gas sector is outpacing other agencies in terms of women inclusion in key positions.
“Can we do more? The answer clearly is yes, we can. I want to see a situation whereby if you take 20 oil and gas companies, you will see women leading about 50 per cent of them.”
Osifo, however, noted that some tasks in selected operational areas in the sector might not be easily feasible for women to handle, citing the exploration of crude oil as an example.
He noted that for instances of this nature, the operators might need to spend almost a month on the field and this might not be feasible for many women in Nigeria.
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The convener of the awards ceremony, Obioma Uzoigwe, said the event was basically to honour women’s contribution in the oil and gas sector, as well as in national development.
Some of the awardees included the pioneer of WOMEN-IN-PENGASSAN, Rose Orji-Kalu; Director, DPR, Auwalu Sarki; former Deputy Governor, Kogi State, Simon Achuba; and DPR Branch Chairman, PENGASSAN, Chioma Owan.
