Energy Council Africa chief to headline Realnews anniversary lecture

The Regional Chair for Africa of the World Energy Council, Dr Farouk Omar Ibrahim, will deliver the 14th anniversary lecture of Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited on November 19, 2026, in Lagos.

The lecture, themed “Geopolitical Turbulence and Energy Security: Forging Strategic Opportunities for Africa,” will hold at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, with the Managing Director of NEDO Gas Development Company Limited, Engr. Debo Fagbami, as chairman.

Realnews Publisher and Editor, Maureen Chigbo, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, November 6, 2026.

According to the statement, Ibrahim accepted the invitation in an email dated April 13, 2026, expressing his commitment to the publication, which he said he had been associated with since its establishment.

“I am pleased to inform you that I have accepted the invitation to speak at the 2026 Realnews Annual Lecture. I’ve been part of Realnews from the founding and so have a duty to honour its invitation,” he stated.

Ibrahim has served as the World Energy Council’s Regional Chair for Africa since 2022 and is a member of the pioneer Board of Directors of the newly established Africa Energy Bank.

He played a central role in establishing the bank during his tenure as Secretary-General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) between January 2020 and January 2026.

The Africa Energy Bank was established to address funding challenges facing Africa’s oil and gas industry, particularly amid the global energy transition.

Before his appointment as APPO Secretary-General, Ibrahim served as Adviser on International Energy Relations to four successive Ministers of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria.

He also represented Nigeria on the boards of several intergovernmental energy organisations, including serving as the country’s Governor to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 2015 and 2020 and as an Executive Board Member of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) during the same period.

He previously served as General Manager and later Group General Manager of the Group Public Affairs Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation between 2010 and 2014.

Before joining the NNPC, Ibrahim spent seven years at the OPEC Secretariat in Vienna, Austria, where he headed the Public Relations and Information Department and served as Executive Editor of the OPEC Energy Review and Editor-in-Chief of the OPEC Bulletin.

He also has an extensive journalism background, having served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of New Nigerian Newspapers Limited between 1999 and 2003.

Earlier in his media career, he worked at Daily Times of Nigeria, where he held several editorial and management positions, including membership of the Editorial Board, weekly columnist and Op-Ed Editor.

Ibrahim began his career in academia as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Political Science at Bayero University, Kano, in 1981, rising to the rank of Lecturer before leaving for journalism in 1990.

He holds a PhD in Political Science from Rutgers University, New Jersey, United States, a master’s degree from Bayero University, Kano, and a bachelor’s degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

The Realnews Anniversary Lecture Series was established to bring distinguished experts and public figures together to enrich discussions on national development and critical issues affecting Africa.

The 13th anniversary lecture in 2025 was delivered by the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Adamu, SAN, on “Cybersecurity, Illicit Financial Flows and Achieving Agenda 2063 in Africa.”

Previous speakers include former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Chukwuma Soludo, former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili, former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu and former NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa.

Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited is an online publication known for its investigative journalism, with particular focus on governance, the oil and gas industry and environmental accountability.