Introducing Energy Nuggets Daily and Energy Insights

Today, I welcome our readers and friends, especially those who have followed my journalism journey for nearly four decades, and my pioneering roles in both financial journalism and energy journalism niches.

May I apologise to those who already subscribed when we first launched the website a few weeks back. We needed to get all our backroom activities organised before going full blast. Rest assured that you will get your free daily insights henceforth.  And for those who would like to access paid content, please subscribe to our membership package and you will not regret doing so.

My place as the foremost energy journalist at the time was sealed with the launch of Nigeria Petrobusiness magazine in 1992, which I founded with the backing of industry greats like the late Godwin Aretnekhai Adams, Ebi Omatsola, Femi Lalude, Anthony Ashiofu, Josephat Anyigbo, Kayode Akingbade, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, among several others.

So many things have happened since that epochal event at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos where the who is who in the industry came together to celebrate with us. The magazine struggled under the oppressive regime of General Sani Abacha when most of our readers left the country and Nigeria’s pariah status meant that could not benefit from foreign readers and advertising. And since foreigners dominated these decisions at the time, we came to the difficult decision to rest the tile in 1995.

I went back to mainstream journalism, becoming the pioneer Energy Editor at Thisday newspapers and later a member of her Editorial Board. I played other roles, including Group Business Editor at National Interest newspaper; Editor at The Examiner; and Editor-at-Large at both Financial Standard and BusinessDay, before starting a low-profile title known as Nigerian Energy Chronicles.

In my journey, I have been privileged to organise some outstanding events, including the landmark Nigeria Petroleum Golden Jubilee Awards at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja in August 2008, to commemorate 50 years of oil production in Nigeria. That event was used as a platform to celebrate the icons and pioneers of the industry. There has not been any such gathering of the oil industry people past and present since that event.

I have also been very proud to host several meetings of the Abuja Petroleum Roundtable, with the leadership of the late Dr. Emmanuel Egbogah as Chairman of the APR Advisory Board and Engr Godwin Eyarubere Omene as Alternate Chairman.

Other events I have been proud of include the Gulf of Guinea Energy Investment Forum, which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva; the several editions of the annual Chancellors Dinner at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, to mark the convocation ceremonies of the University of Port Harcourt; and several conferences and roundtables organised in collaboration with the Institute of Petroleum Studies as well as Emerald Energy Institute, University of Port Harcourt.

I thought I had done my bit and should therefore retire and focus on writing books. But there is no enabling environment for retirement! So here we are.

Energy Nuggets Daily will provide daily news and trends analyses while breaking down issues relating to the energy industries in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea for international operators and even Nigerian readers who need a proper briefing.

This will be done in the tradition of interpretative journalism, tapping from my industry experience and interaction with many of the important players over the years. Readers can read Energy Nuggets Daily through a free subscription. However, Energy Insights will be a members-only content available to those with paid membership subscriptions.

For instance, the annual flagship energy event in the Middle East – the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) kicks off today, with our own Timipre Silva billed to deliver a keynote.

 

Next week, world leaders from big and small countries; major polluters, and non-industrialised economies will gather at the Egyptian desert resort city of Sham el Sheikh for COP 27, the latest iteration of the climate change conferences seeking to limit global warming and reduce aggregate global carbon emissions.

 

Attendees will compare notes on how the world has fared since the Climate Change Agreement was inked by 196 countries at COP 21, which was held in Paris in 2015. The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change signed on December 12, 2015.

 

Tomorrow, I will delve into the Hypocrisy of the Energy Transition, the current industry fad derived from the Paris Conference on climate change. I will also be looking at industry trends around the world, with implications for Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.

 

And in the debut issue of Energy Insights on Monday, November 7, we will feature a Keynote Interview with top energy industry technocrat, Dr. Timothy Okon who played key roles behind the scenes in the midwifing of the Petroleum Industry Act. The issue will also have deep insights and actionable intelligence for those who have more than a passing interest in the energy value chain, especially in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.

I am sure that there will be so many readers who have more knowledge about certain issues we may discuss. Contributions are therefore welcome to improve the quality of the conversations. Please feel free to contact me through WhatsApp at 234 803 399 0183 or email info@energynuggets.ng, ikechi@energynuggets.ng or ikechi.ibeji@gmail.com

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