By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
As the echoes of the year 2021 resonating globally, countries, governments, ministries, institutions, organizations in both (public and private sectors) and individuals are already brainstorming on how to re-strategise for the new year.
The oil and gas is one of the critical and strategic sectors to the economic stability of Nigeria wherein the stakeholders are already preparing, particularly for the downstream sector and transportation of petroleum products to various destinations safely.
Creating the pathway for the discourse is the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Benin field office through its 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the petroleum products marketers scheduled to hold in Benin City, Edo State on January 28, 2021 at Prestige Hotel.
Topical issues such as “Petroleum products Transportation: key stakeholders’ Responsibilities, Associated ‘Road Risk’ and Remedies” as well as “Ensuring Safe Operations In The Downstream Sector of the Petroleum Industry in the Current Global Challenge” are to be put in the front burner for intellectual fireworks and cross-pollination of ideas geared towards ensuring that the petroleum products are transported to their respective destinations safely while other roads users are equally safe on the same roads.
No doubt, the AGM will offer an apple opportunity for robust deliberation on how to sanitise the operations in the downstream sector and reduce, if not completely eliminate, all iota of the associated roads risk in Nigeria.