The management of Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited, publishers of Realnews Magazine Online, has announced two leading oil and gas experts as panellists for its 14th Anniversary Lecture Series scheduled to hold in Lagos on Thursday, November 19, 2026.
The experts, Dr Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development at Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), and Dr Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), will participate in a panel discussion titled, ‘Geopolitical Turbulence and Energy Security: Forging Strategic Opportunities for Africa’.
The discussion will take place immediately after the anniversary lecture at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Isaac John, Ikeja, GRA, Lagos. The event is scheduled to begin at 10am.
Horsfall is a business leader and corporate affairs professional with more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, covering finance, human resources, corporate communications, corporate relations and sustainable development.
Since joining NLNG, she has occupied several strategic positions, including the company’s first Human Resources Manager, Business Partnering Manager, Manpower Planning and Resourcing Manager, and roles in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs. She also served as Chief of Staff to NLNG’s COVID-19 Crisis Management Team.
Before her appointment as General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, in November 2024, she worked as Corporate Relations Manager at the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria.
In her current position, she provides strategic leadership in stakeholder engagement, corporate reputation, external relations and sustainable development, with responsibilities covering community development, healthcare, entrepreneurship and human capacity development.
A medical doctor by training, 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 attended executive programmes at institutions including INSEAD, the University of Cambridge and Lagos Business School. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and belongs to professional organisations such as the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Institute of Directors.
Beyond her corporate career, Horsfall is involved in women’s empowerment, mentoring and community development. She is a founding member of the Kilali Tribe, a women’s empowerment group that supports female entrepreneurs and professionals in the Niger Delta.
Ezeobi, meanwhile, was appointed General Manager, Corporate Communications at the NCDMB in May 2025. He has experience across the oil and gas industry, public relations, advertising and journalism.
He holds degrees in Mass Communication and Energy Communication from the University of Nigeria and the University of Port Harcourt, respectively.
During his 15 years at the NCDMB, Ezeobi has contributed to policy development and modelling, strategy formulation, media relations, crisis communication, community relations, stakeholder management and leadership communication.
He has also conceived and implemented several communication campaigns aimed at shaping the agency’s public image. These include its initial stakeholder engagements following its establishment in May 2010, the commissioning of the Nigerian Content Tower by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020, and the inauguration of four NCDMB Governing Councils.
Other initiatives include the launch and remodelling of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, the agency’s participation in national and international oil and gas conferences and exhibitions, and the development and management of its media platforms.
In April 2025, Ezeobi published his first book, Nigeria’s Local Content: A Journey of Strategic Communication and Economic Transformation. The book received endorsements from personalities in Nigeria’s and Africa’s energy and communications sectors.
Before joining the NCDMB in 2010, he worked as a journalist with media organisations including PUNCH Newspapers and New Age Newspapers, covering energy, the economy, marketing communications and sports.
Realnews had earlier announced that the Managing Director of NEDO Gas Company Limited, Engr. Debo Fagbami, would chair the anniversary lecture and moderate the panel discussion.
The Managing Director of Frazimex Engineering Limited, an Oilserv Group company, Engr. Chuka Eze, is expected to deliver the keynote address. The organisers said the guest lecturer and Special Guest of Honour would be announced later.
The 14th anniversary event is part of Realnews’ annual lecture series, established to recognise distinguished individuals and promote discussions on issues affecting national and African development.
The 13th Anniversary Lecture was delivered by Dr Musa Adamu, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in 2025. His lecture focused on ‘Cybersecurity, Illicit Financial Flows and Achieving Agenda 2063 in Africa’.
Previous speakers have included former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Ambassador Professor Ibrahim Gambari; former Director-General of the ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa, Dr Edwin W. Harris Jr.; and Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brigadier General Buba Marwa.
Other past lecturers include NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama; Professor Mahmood Yakubu; former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili; former UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas; former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo; and former Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu.
Realnews describes itself as an online general-interest publication focused on investigative journalism, with particular attention to the oil and gas sector and its environmental challenges.
The publication says its work is aimed at highlighting the experiences of ordinary people and providing information that can help governments and decision-makers address societal challenges. Its motto is ‘For God and Humanity’.
