Top Oil and Gas experts to speak at Realnews 14th Anniversary Lecture Series
- Discussants:
Dr. Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development (NLNG)
Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB)
Theme: “Geopolitical Turbulence and Energy Security: Forging Strategic Opportunities for Africa”
- Date: Thursday, the 19th of November, 2026
- Venue: Radisson Blu, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, starting at 10 am
Lagos, November 4, 2026
The Management of Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited, publishers of Realnews Magazine Online, has announced that two top oil and gas experts will feature on a high-level panel discussion at the Realnews 14th Anniversary Lecture Series.
They will be discussing “Geopolitical Turbulence and Energy Security: Forging Strategic Opportunities for Africa” immediately after the Lecture, which will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Isaac John, Ikeja, GRA, Lagos, on Thursday, November 19, 2026, starting at 10 am.
The discussants are Dr. Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Limited, and Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
Horsfall is a seasoned business leader and corporate affairs professional with over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, spanning Finance, Human Resources, Corporate Communications, Corporate Relations and Sustainable Development. Since joining Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), she has held several strategic leadership positions, including NLNG’s first HR Manager, Business Partnering Manager, Manpower Planning and Resourcing Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, and Chief of Staff to the company’s COVID-19 Crisis Management Team. She also served as Corporate Relations Manager at Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria before her appointment as General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, in November 2024. In her current role, she provides strategic leadership for stakeholder engagement, corporate reputation, external relations and sustainable development, advancing initiatives in community development, healthcare, entrepreneurship and human capacity development.
A medical doctor by training, Dr Horsfall holds an MBBS from the University of Lagos, an MBA from Imperial College London, a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategy and Innovation and an MSc in Major Programme Management from the University of Oxford. She has also undertaken executive programmes at leading institutions, including INSEAD, the University of Cambridge and Lagos Business School. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), she belongs to several professional bodies, including NIPR, CIPD and the Institute of Directors. Beyond her corporate responsibilities, she is passionate about women’s empowerment, mentoring and community development. She is a founding member of the Kilali Tribe, a women’s empowerment group supporting female entrepreneurs and professionals in the Niger Delta, and has contributed to various humanitarian and social impact initiatives.
Also, Ezeobi was appointed General Manager, Corporate Communications at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in May 2025. He has extensive knowledge and experience across Oil and Gas, Public Relations, Advertising and Journalism, and holds degrees in Mass Communication and Energy Communication from the University of Nigeria and the University of Port Harcourt.
In his 15 years working at the NCDMB, Obinna has played critical roles in policy development and modeling, strategy development, media relations, crisis communication, community relations, stakeholder management, and leadership communication.
He conceived and delivered several successful communication campaigns that shaped NCDMB’s reputation, including the agency’s first engagements with stakeholders after establishment in May 2010, commissioning of the Nigerian Content Tower by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020, the inauguration of four NCDMB Governing Councils, the launch and remodeling of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, international and national oil and gas conferences and exhibitions, and the conception and management of NCDMB media platforms.
In April 2025, Ezeobi unveiled his first book titled Nigeria’s Local Content: A Journey of Strategic Communication and Economic Transformation. The seminal book was endorsed by notable personalities in the Nigerian and African Energy and communication sectors and has enjoyed wide reviews in the media. He leverages his media background, academic studies, and oil and gas work experience to host lively sessions at conferences and interviews.
Before joining NCDMB in 2010, Ezeobi was a high-flying journalist and worked for leading media organisations like PUNCH Newspapers and New Age Newspapers, where he covered beats such as Energy, Economy, Marketing Communications, and Sports.
Realnews previously reported that Engr. Debo Fagbami, Managing Director, NEDO Gas Company Limited (NEDOGAS), would chair the lecture and moderate the panel session. The keynote speaker, Engr. Chuka Eze, Managing Director of Frazimex Engineering Limited (Oilserv Group), will set the tone for the event. Realnews will soon reveal the name of the guest lecturer and the Special Guest of Honour.
Realnews, a general interest magazine, is an online publication that thrives on investigative journalism. We have expertise in reporting on the oil and gas sector with its attendant environmental challenges. We aim to unearth exclusive stories about real people and the challenges they face in their day-to-day activities. We do this bearing in mind that the government can only act to influence the lives of people positively if they are aware of their true situation. Hence, our objective is to use our investigative skills to ferret out information in the sectors we focus on and produce an unbiased report that will influence the government and decision-makers to take actions that will make society better.
Realnews is populated by seasoned journalists who believe strongly in the tenets and ethics of the profession. The online publication believes that journalism as the fourth Estate of the Realm, can contribute its quota towards building a fair and just society where fundamental human rights are respected, and citizens have the freedom to pursue their interests anywhere in the world without hindrance. Its editors have a combined experience of several decades in active journalism practice and are highly dedicated to serving humanity. Hence its motto: “For God and Humanity.”
Realnews Anniversary Lecture Series was established to commemorate the best minds in our society and to tap into them to enrich the discourse in our national development. Dr. Musa Adamu, SAN, Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (2025), delivered the 13th Anniversary Lecture Series on “Cybersecurity, Illicit Financial Flows and Achieving Agenda 2063 in Africa”. The 12th Anniversary Lecture of Realnews was delivered by His Excellency, Ambassador Professor Ibrahim Gambari, former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. The 11th Anniversary Lecture in 2023 on The Threats of Illicit Funds Flow to the African Economy was delivered by Dr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director-General, ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA). The 10th Anniversary lecture in 2022 on “Drug Abuse among Youths in Africa: Implications for Nigerian Economy and 2023 Elections” was delivered by Brigadier General Buba Marwa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA; the 9th Anniversary Lecture of Realnews in 2021 was delivered by Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board on “Nigeria in the Unfolding Integration of the African Market: The Oil and Gas Perspective”; 2020 Eighth Anniversary Lecture of Realnews was delivered by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on Managing COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: The Nigeria Experience; Then former President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana gave the 2019 Lecture on Beyond Politics: An Economic Narrative for West Africa while Prof. Mahmood Yakubu spoke on Political Transitions and Africa’s Economic Development: Preparations for Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections at the 2018 Lecture. The 2017 Fifth Anniversary Lecture on African Leadership in a Turbulent Era was delivered by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and former World Bank Vice President. The 2016 Fourth Anniversary Lecture on Security and National Development in Plural Democratic Society was delivered by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative to West Africa and Sahel; the 2015 Realnews Third Anniversary Lecture was delivered by Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on November 19, 2015, under the theme: It’s The Nigerian Economy, Stupid? The Second Realnews Anniversary Lecture on Nigerian Democracy: Getting it Right in 2014 was delivered by Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
