Honouring a Legacy: 22nd Aret Adams Memorial Lecture to Spotlight Impact on Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Sector
The 22nd edition of the annual Aret Adams Memorial Lecture is scheduled to hold on May 15, 2025, at the Muson Centre (Agip Recital Hall), Onikan, Lagos, beginning at 11:00 a.m. This year’s theme, “Aret Adams – Legacies and Impacts on Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Industry”, reflects on the life, contributions, and enduring influence of one of Nigeria’s foremost figures in the energy sector.
According to Mr. Akin Jokojeje, Programmes Manager of the Aret Adams Foundation, the event will bring together industry leaders, former colleagues, and close associates of the late Chief Godwin Aret Adams to reflect on his legacy and its relevance in today’s evolving energy landscape. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees selected the theme to mark 22 years since the passing of Adams, Nigeria’s first Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The event will be chaired by
- Engr. (Dr.) Olufemi Lalude, former Managing Director of SNEPCo, and will feature two panel sessions. These panels include key industry veterans and thought leaders such as
- Ogbueshi Ben Osuno (Pioneer Director of DPR),
- Dr. Ebi Omatsola (Founding MD, Conoil Nigeria),
- Mr. George Osahon (Former DPR Director),
- Engr. Andy Yakubu (Former GMD, NNPC), and
- Mr. Austin Avuru (Chairman, AA Holdings). Others include
- Chief Chamberlain Oyibo,
- Mr. James Mavuaye Orife,
- Dr. Steve Okolo,
- Mrs. Ofueko Omoigui-Okaru,
- Pastor Daniel Ndefo, and
- Mr. Louis Nwachukwu Mbanefo.
Industry stakeholders, financial institutions, manufacturers, and business leaders are expected to attend.
Chief Aret Adams, who served as GMD of NNPC from 1988 to 1990 and later as Special Adviser on Petroleum Resources to then Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in 1998, played a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s energy policy and projects. He was instrumental in the development of the National Energy Policy (1980) and championed critical initiatives such as the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) project.
In his honour, the Aret Adams Foundation promotes education and policy development. It has established professorial chairs in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt (in partnership with Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, formerly SPDC) and in Geology at the University of Ibadan. Scholarships are awarded annually to top postgraduate Geology students at the University of Ibadan.
Engr. Charles Osezua, OON, KSG, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the event’s chief host, highlighted Adams’ lasting legacy of integrity, transparency, market-driven development, and inclusive leadership. He noted that these values continue to inspire the Foundation’s mission since its establishment in 2003.
