David Curtiss, Executive Director of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Headquarters USA, accompanied by the Africa Region Programs Director, Delia Kuye, paid a courtesy visit to Mr. Clay Neff, Chairman/Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria Limited, on Wednesday, June 8, 2016. The visit was to thank Chevron for its long standing support not just in Nigeria, but globally.
Mr. Curtiss thanked Chevron for its support saying; “We thank you for all your support. Not only does Chevron sponsor the membership dues for all student members globally, they also pay for faculty members that join the association. We appreciate also your support for your employees who are AAPG members that volunteer to serve the association in different capacities. We don’t take it for granted”. David also thanked the company for the sponsorship of the Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) program, which is an annual competition for geoscience graduates all over the world. Chevron sponsors the competition globally as a member of the Corporate Advisory Board (CAB), as well as the Africa Region semi-finals.
He expressed concern about the dwindling number of geologists and called for a more concerted partnership between AAPG and Chevron especially in the area of capacity building. “We need to sustain the relevance of the geosciences as a profession. AAPG can be of support to Chevron in the area of capacity enhancement because we don’t want to lose the next generation of geologists,” he said.
Mr. Neff appreciated the AAPG leadership for the visit, adding that the company is very proud of its association with the AAPG. “You are a critical technical organization and we are very proud of our employees that get involved in all your programmes. This helps us improve our business and for that we are glad to contribute in all levels that we can”.
Clay advised the organization to stay true to its fundamentals: “In these challenging times, it is important that associations like the AAPG stay true to the fundamentals. That will continue to build your credibility,” he said.
On the dwindling number of geologists, Mr. Neff agreed with David that this is a concern, and mentioned the company’s support for getting students motivated to going into technical professions by educating them on the exciting opportunities involved, to get the numbers back up.
Chevron’s involvement with the AAPG includes payment of membership dues for student members and faculty members globally; university lecturers who serve as faculty advisors to active AAPG Student Chapters; and sponsorship of the Imperial Barrel Award Program (IBA) which is an annual prospective basin evaluation competition for geoscience graduate students from universities around the world. 41 CNL employees are members of the AAPG and serve in various capacities, such as Executive Committee members and coordinators, judges, coaches and mentors to IBA teams throughout the African continent.
Others in attendance include; Femi Esan, Earth Science Team Lead, Okan/Meji who is also the current Vice President, AAPG Africa Region; Jacob Diedjomahor, Exploration Manager who was also one of the judges for the 2016 AAPG Africa Region IBA competition; Adedoja Ojelabi, Manager Reservoir Management Organizational Capability, who is also AAPG Global IBA Committee Member and former Vice President, AAPG Africa Region; and Adesola Adebawo, Manager, Communications.