NCDMB Hosts Dakuku Peterside, Champions Reading Culture and Innovation
In a world increasingly defined by uncertainty, the ability to lead through crisis is fast becoming one of the most critical skills of our time, a reality the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is keen to address.
The NCDMB hosted its first quarter 2026 Book Reading Series on Wednesday at its Conference Centre, featuring Dakuku Peterside, former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, as the Guest Author.
The event centred on Peterside’s 2025 publication, Leading in a Storm: Practical Leadership Strategies in Crisis Situations, drawing a diverse audience from higher institutions, the media, the Association of Nigerian Authors, and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, alongside virtual participants.
In his welcome address, Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, described the reading series as a “signature event” that underscores the Board’s commitment to creativity and intellectual development.
He noted that the initiative aligns with NCDMB’s mandate to strengthen local capacity in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and its linkage industries.
Ogbe highlighted several interventions by the Board, including six Centres of Excellence spread across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, each focused on specialised fields such as marine and petrochemical technologies, engineering design, renewable energy, and geophysical studies.
Additional projects include research hubs at the University of Lagos and Rivers State University, as well as a new Centre of Excellence in Gas Development at Delta State University, Abraka, in partnership with Seplat Energy Plc.
He also pointed to ongoing collaborations with Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited, and the Nigerian Society of Engineers to organise the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad, designed to encourage innovation among final-year and postgraduate students.
Speaking during the book conversation moderated by Victor Binawari, Peterside said his work was inspired by real-life leadership challenges, from fuel supply crises during his time at the National Assembly to tackling piracy as NIMASA boss, and navigating the global disruption of COVID-19.
“Every single day, Nigerians face one crisis or another,” he observed, stressing that effective leadership is often the missing link.
He identified eight core competencies for crisis leadership, including contextual intelligence, calm confidence, strategic decision-making, clear communication, and adaptability.
According to him, storytelling remains a powerful leadership tool because it makes lessons relatable and memorable.
In closing, NCDMB’s Teleola Oyeleke thanked the guest author and participants, urging attendees to cultivate a reading culture and commit to continuous personal development.
The event reinforced a simple but powerful message: in times of crisis, knowledge, clarity, and creativity are not optional, they are essential.
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