The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru has added a major laurel to his growing list of honours since assumption of office following his recent nomination as the Forbes Best of Africa Oil and Gas Man of the Year 2017 Award by the New York based internationally reputable media organization.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Group General Manager Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Ndu Ughamdu made available to BusinessDay.
The news of the nomination of Baru for the prestigious award was conveyed to the Corporation via a letter dated October 11, 2017 and signed by Mark Furlong, President, Customs Solutions Media, on behalf of Forbes Media, the statement said.
Forbes, in the document, informed that the Award was given specially to top oil and gas personalities who have made far-reaching and positive contributions to the development of the sector, and have caused sustained stability of the economy in which they operate.
In arriving at the choice of Baru, Forbes noted that it had followed with keen interest the rising profile and impressive career path of the NNPC GMD through the years.
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“For these and other landmark achievements which you have recorded throughout your enviable career, your nomination for this prestigious Forbes 2017 Award has been approved by Forbes Custom’s Award Committee. This Award will be conferred on you by Forbe’s Mark Furlong.”
It also noted that the award ceremony would be graced by doyens of the international oil and gas business community, policy makers, entrepreneurs, politicians, opinion leaders, among others, the statement said.
In his 18-month stewardship thus far as chief executive of the NNPC, Baru has received many awards and accolades affirming his leadership qualities.
These awards included: the PETAN Appreciation Award for the promotion of the growth of Nigerian Companies and Entrepreneurs in the Petroleum Industry; the PETAN 2017 Oil and Gas Industry Award in recognition of the Corporation’s aggressive exploration campaign in the Benue Trough and the Chad Basin, as well as the Diamond Award in recognition of NNPC’s support and contribution towards the success of SPE’s Nigeria Annual International Conference & Exhibition (NAICE) 2017, among others.
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Baru, a First Class honours graduate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Mechanical Engineering, who also won Shell BP Petroleum Prize for the Best Final Year Mechanical Engineering Student and the Lever Brothers Prize for the Best Final Year Mechanical Engineering Investigation Project at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1982, is a Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE); Fellow, Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FNIMechE); Fellow, Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (FNSChE); Fellow, Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHAssociation) UK; Honourary Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineering Technicians; Honourary Fellow, Nigerian Environmental Society (FNES HON); Honourary Fellow, Nigerian Metallurgical Society; Fellow; Institute of Chartered Mediators and Arbitrators (ICMA).
He is also a Member, Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN); Member, Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) and Chairman of the NGA Advisory Board; Member, Institute of Directors of Nigeria (IoD); Member, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN); and Honourary Member, Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), among others, the statement said.
Dr. Baru, Last week, delivered the 40th Pre-convocation Lecture of ABU.
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
