TheCable

OrderPaper Nigeria has announced a series of webinars for assessing the implications of COVID-19 0n the petroleum sector.

In a statement, Oke Epia, executive director of OrderPaper Nigeria, said the webinars will feature thought leaders in the oil and gas industry, economists, civil society leaders, academics and public affairs analysts who will interrogate the “virus-induced dwindling fortunes of the sector” and proffer solutions as well as opportunities for reforms.

Epia said the inaugural of the webinar series, which would hold at 2pm on Monday, will feature the following panelists: Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, managing director Arise TV; Tope Fasua, economist and public policy analyst, and Joe Nwakwue, petroleum industry expert.

Themed: “The COVID-19 Opportunity for Petroleum Reforms in Nigeria”, Epia said the conference will draw free participation from concerned stakeholders and the general public who are enjoined to register using this link:

According to him, the imperative of the series is the urgency of taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis “especially at a time when global oil prices have dipped and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted a 3.4 percent shrinking of Nigeria’s economy which could face recession till 2021″.

“The petroleum sector is in focus because of the global dynamics that could combine to imperil our single-source dependence for national sustenance,” he said.

“The COVID-19 sneeze is, in summary, making our economy catch a life-threatening cold that could asphyxiate the country. While this pandemic-induced doldrums peter out, we must not miss the opportunity to reform and reset.”