A number of Nigerian universities have appointed the immediate past Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, as a visiting Professor of Law. These include the University of Benin, Benin-City; Baze University, Abuja; Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD).
A statement yesterday explained that the prestigious appointments were in recognition of Kachikwu’s “exceptional contributions to the legal profession, particularly in the field of energy law and policy.”
It added: “Kachikwu is a renowned lawyer and energy expert, with over 30 years of experience in the industry. He has served in various high-profile positions, including as Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, where he spearheaded several groundbreaking initiatives aimed at reforming and repositioning the country’s oil and gas sector.”
Kachikwu was the President of OPEC in 2016, serving Nigeria’s term as OPEC president. He was the unprecedented three-time President of APPO (The Ministerial Council of African Petroleum Ministers) and undertook major reforms of APPO to bring it alive.
In addition, Kachikwu oversaw the installation of Barkindo Sanusi (late) as Secretary General of OPEC in 2016 and H.E. Farouk Ibrahim as Secretary General of APPO in 2019.
Prior to his appointment as the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, he was the Executive Vice Chairman of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and General Counsel for ExxonMobil Nigeria affiliate Upstream and Downstream Companies in Nigeria.
“In addition to his appointments as visiting Professor in the Nigerian Universities, Dr. Kachikwu has also been granted visiting Professorship appointments by several Ivy League universities in the United States of America.
“As a visiting professor, Dr. Kachikwu will be sharing his expertise and experience with students and the faculty, engaging in research and academic activities, and contributing to the development of the legal profession in Nigeria and beyond.”
Sam Diala is a Bloomberg Certified Financial Journalist with over a decade of experience in reporting Business and Economy. He is Business Editor at THEWILL Newspaper, and believes that work, not wishes, creates wealth.
