80th birthday: PTDF ES highlights Professor Omar Rahaman’s  contributions to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector

By Onu Okorie

The Executive Secretary Petroleum Technology Development Fund PTDF Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu has highlighted the role played by  Professor Emeritus Omar Rahaman  in strengthening professional networks in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and advancing collaboration across key industry bodies, including the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society NMGS and the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists NAPE, despite his academic focus on hydrogeology.

He stated this at Rahaman’s 80th birthday celebration in Abuja during the weekend, commending his decades-long contributions to geoscience education, professional development, and institutional growth in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. Aliyu, described Rahaman as a central figure in the evolution of geoscience capacity building in Nigeria, noting that the venue itself reflected the professor’s enduring legacy.

Acccording to him, “we are in this building largely as a result of the recognition of what Professor Rahaman has done. The recent discussions within the organisation reaffirmed Rahaman’s profound impact on both PTDF and grassroots geoscientists.

The event also featured the launch of the fifth edition of the Rahaman Series, a professional lecture platform initiated by the octogenarian, which has grown from a modest workshop into an international geoscience forum.

As part of the celebration, Aliyu introduced the Guest Lecturer Felix Toteu, a geoscientist affiliated with UNESCO, who travelled from Cameroon to attend the event. Aliyu noted the significance of the journey, describing it as a testament to Rahaman’s far-reaching influence. The Cameroonian geologist,earned BsC 1977 at the University of Yaounde and a Doctorat de Jeme Cycle 1981 and Doctorat es Sciences Naturelles1987 at the University of Nancy-1. He joined Cammeroon Institute for Geological and Mining Research IGMR in 1982 and became Research director in 1996. Over more than 40 years, he conducted extensive geological mapping and geochronological studies across Africa, Europe and America, building a major Central African geochronological data base.

Speakers at the ceremony also reflected on Rahaman’s contributions to PTDF’s flagship programmes, particularly the Overseas Scholarship Scheme, which has produced a generation of skilled professionals for Nigeria’s energy industry. 

He was credited with helping to institutionalise transparent aptitude testing processes for scholarship candidates across destinations including South Asia and the United Kingdom.

Rahaman also played a founding role in the PTDF In-Country Graduate Scholarship Scheme and has remained actively involved in candidate selection processes over the years.

Beyond scholarships, his contributions extended to academic infrastructure. He was instrumental in establishing five specialised professional master’s programmes at Obafemi Awolowo University with support from industry stakeholders.

The celebration forms part of a broader series of activities tagged the “Season of Rahaman,” which includes a student competition scheduled for April 28 at OAU’s Department of Geology, family events in May, and a commemorative programme in Lagos.

Speakers at the event described Rahaman’s career as a life dedicated to knowledge, service, and national development, noting that his legacy continues to shape the next generation of geoscience professionals.

The PTDF said the celebrations will continue in the coming weeks, underscoring Rahaman’s enduring influence in academia and the energy sector.