Delta-born Pat Utomi takes birthday celebration home to impact his people

…As experts urge Nigerians to invest in oil sector

Delta State-born Patrick Utomi, a political economy expert, weekend, took his birthday celebration to his home state, Delta in the oil-rich Niger Delta, to economically empower his people especially the youth.

At an event in Asaba, put together by the Centre for Values in Leadership, to honour the Nigeria’s foremost professor of political economy and management, at 70, Utomi the celebrant, said he decided to celebrate this year at home to create opportunities for his people, especially the youth to benefit immensely from the lecture series designed to expose participants to business and job prospects in the oil industry.

“I decided to bring the lecture to Delta apart from Lagos, so that the young people around here can see opportunities that they can pursue, and live more meaningful life”, said Uromi, the renowned professor at the Lagos Business School.

The Septuagenarian colloquium which has as its theme, ‘Overcoming Poverty in Africa: Did we get it wrong? What next?’ had in attendance critical stakeholders in the nation’s economy, traditional rulers, religious institutions and operators in the Nigerian Upstream and Downstream Sectors as well as political leaders from various parts of Nigeria.

They made their contributions to chart a way out of poverty not just in Nigeria but Africa as a continent.

Earlier at a panel discussion on the opportunities in the oil industry moderated by the celebrant, Utomi, the panelists gave overview of the prospects, operations, and challenges in the oil industry referencing Nigeria and Ghana.

In their contributions, Gabriel Ogbechie, one of the panel discussants who is a production engineer and Group Managing Director of Rainoil with almost three decades of cognate experience in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, said the Industry is lucrative with opportunities for people to invest in downstream and upstream sectors.

Ogbechie urged Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunities in the oil and gas sector as a whole to invest, starting from the downstream which is the lowest hanging fruits.

”I have seen a lot of transformations in terms of Nigerians taking advantage of the opportunities in the oil and gas sector to actually invest and take control,” he said.

”Over 30 years ago, the companies controlling the downstream in this country, you had Shell which later transformed to National Oil; British Petroleum which later transformed to African Petroleum; you had Mobil, Total, Texaco and few others. But today, many Nigerians have stepped forward to take control. The only international oil company still playing in the downstream sector is Total”, he added.

Isaac Balami, Spokesman for the Planning Committee, described the event as a remarkable milestone, noting, ” We celebrate not only the years of Professor Pat Utomi, but the depth of impact within them—his mentorship, moral clarity, patriotism and enduring faith in the potentials of people and institutions. His legacies continue to live on through the Centre for Values in Leadership, and the many lives transformed by Professor Utomi vision.”

The event later shifted to Ibusa town, Delta State, where Nigerians in their large numbers gathered at the Catholic Church for a mass to thank God for the birthday anniversary.

On his part, Utomi attributed his achievements to the grace of God and appreciated His faithfulness upon him in the 70 years of existence on earth.