INDUSTRY EVENTS
Climate Change: We Keep the Best Standards - PETAN By Ikenna Omeje
T
he Publicity Secretary of Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, Mr. Ranti Omole has said that members of the association keep the best standards, work hard to comply with the ISO 14001and practice effective waste management in response to tackling the challenges of global warming and climate change. He stated this in an interview with Majorwaves Energy Report on the margins of the Process Safety and Reliability Group (PSRG)-Richardson HSSE 2019 annual Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) forum, with the theme,” Global Warming- Real Issues and Our Responsibilities.” “I believe most of us comply with ISO 140001 on environmental management and ensure that we don’t get involved in things that increase the greenhouse effects of carbon dioxide on sites. We also ensure that we do housekeeping in most of our projects, also on waste management because some waste emit carbon dioxide that can lead to degradation. So really, we keep the best standards, we work pretty hard to comply with ISO 140001 and we also practice effective waste management and housekeeping in most of our projects and communities, where we work. And we ensure that we don’t destroy the environment, but rather, restore after we finish our various projects activities,” he said while responding to a question on what PETAN is doing in response to global warming and climate change. Bearing his www.majorwavesenergyreport.com
mind on the government response to global warming he noted, “We are not doing enough. Several years ago, we had those Programmes like aforestation progammes, where the government deliberately planted trees in the middle belt and arid parts of the north. Also, there were lots of river basin authorities and dams, which they tried to use to ensure that aforestation progamme, arable croppings and to ensure that the lands are utilised for farming. “But nowadays, we don’t hear of such Programmes, we don’t hear of any specific effort towards that. We must go back to planting trees, bringing back that culture, so that we can support aforestation and arrest desert encroachment.” Omole admonished that a concerted effort is needed and called on all stakeholders to work together towards tackling global warming and climate change in the country. Also speaking with Majorwaves Energy Report, the Chief Executive Officer/ Managing Director, Richardson Oil and Gas, who is also the convener of the forum, Mr. Akin Osuntoki said that the idea behind the programme is to give back and create a platform where stakeholders can come together to share ideas, network and proffer solutions to challenges. He expressed happiness that the programme has lived up to that initial goal. “The whole essence of the Programme is to give back. As you know, it is an alliance between the Process Safety and Reliability Group (PSRG) and Richardson Oil and Gas. When we started this,we wanted to give back;
we wanted to create a platform where all stakeholders will come together to share ideas, network and solve challenges together. It remains true to that initial intention. And that is why you find that each year, it is getting bigger and better, because all stakeholders derive value to the Programme,” he said The keynote speaker at the event, Environmental & Social Risk Management, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Ms. Constance Omawumi Kola-Lawal, who spoke on this year’s theme,” Global Warming Real Issues and Our Responsibilities” said that to respond positively to global warming and climate change, Nigeria and other African countries should adopt either climate change adaptation or climate change mitigation. She said that although the United States and China are the biggest culprits of greenhouse emissions, African countries may likely be the most affected if they don’t respond quickly and positively. Speaking on “Corporate Social Responsibility: Bridging Socio-Economic Gaps”, the Managing Director of Thistle Praxis Consulting, Mrs. Ini Abimbola described corporate social responsibility as “the DNA of an organization.” She called on corporate organizations to always engage their host communities before carrying out any CSR project, so that their projects will reflect the need of their host communities. She noted that for any organization to succeed in its business, periodic audit of CSR, just like the way organizations carry out financial audits, should be regularly carried out by the heads of organizations. The PSRG- Richardson HSSE Forum is an annual event and a platform for the convergence of industry players in diverse sectors including oil and gas, manufacturing, telecommunication, construction, finance, Marine, security, health, and relevant government agencies. The Forum was inaugurated in 2009 and since its inception, has received several recognitions from various industry stakeholders.
Ranti Omole
Majorwaves Energy Report
OCTOBER 2019, Vol 2 No 7 11
