In less than two months of his appointment as the most senior and competent officer in his agency, the Director Petroleum Resources, Ladan Danteni Baba Mordecai has made huge impact in the oil and gas industry.
In line with President Buhari’s anti-corruption programme and resolve to clean up the sector, Ladan has sealed 23 depots (17 in Lagos, 2 in Port Harcourt, 2 in Warri and 2 in Calabar). In fact it is the first time in the history of the Department such a number of depots were sealed. The action has sanitized the distribution and selling of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at government regulated price at retail outlets.
Few weeks ago, the Director summoned all the 22 DPR Operations Controller in the Field Offices to Lagos and gave them two weeks ultimatum to put under control sales of petroleum products above government regulated price most especially PMS and DPK.
Ladan has issued a stern warning that any Operations Controller that failed in this regard will be replaced by a competent officer. He also warned all the staff that anyone that have been found to have compromised in discharging his duty will face disciplinary action.
The Director has formed a Task Force on the illegal retail outlets (unlicensed) which has uncovered hundreds of illegal retail outlets of which the names will be published in the national dailies soon. Companies involved will be sanctioned appropriately.
He has also set up Inventorisation Committee in his quest to reposition the Department. The Committee’s mandates among others is to review all projects and legacy contracts (status/cost of each projects), the authenticity of the projects in relation to the procurement act and relevance of such projects.
Ladan’s appointment has brought about stability in the sector, a development even International Oil Companies (IOC) have confirmed through separate commendations. According to them, they now have direct and easy access to him and prompt response to their enquiries, which was hitherto characterize by bureaucracy.
President Muhammadu Buhari in late June, approved the appointment Mr Mordecai Danteni Ladan, to oversee the activities of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) after the tenure of former DPR Director, George Osahon expired on June 19. Danteni is not only one of the oldest by most senior officer in that agency.
Before his current appointment, he was the Head, Safety, Health and Environment Division in May 2014.
Born in Kutigi, Niger State on June 24, 1957, the Petrochemist joined DPR in Nov. 23, 1987 as a Senior Analytical Chemist.
He was deployed to the Safety and Environment Branch under the then Technical Services Division.
Ladan rose through the ranks to occupy various key positions within the organisation, including Zonal Operations Controller, DPR Kaduna.
Having attained the rank of Deputy Director, he was appointed Head, Downstream Monitoring and Regulation Division in Oct. 2005 to June 2013.
He was appointed Head, Gas Monitoring and Regulation Division in June 2013 to May 2014.
Ladan is highly accomplished both professionally and academically; he is Fulbright Scholar (Hubert H. Humphrey, North-South Fellow) where he bagged a Certificate in Environmental and Regulatory Policy / Public Affairs June 1991.
He bagged M.Sc. Petrochemicals & Hydrocarbon Chemistry from the University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology, UK March 1986.
He also has a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria July 1982; West African School Certificate from the Federal Government College, Kano June 1978.
Ladan was born on the June 24, 1957 and is married with children.
His papers and publication include: ‘The Dynamics of Regulating and Monitoring the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria’, presented at the Annual Delegate Conference of the PENGASSAN (DPR Branch), Abuja, 2001; ‘Biodegradable of Non-Water & Soluble Drilling Mud Base Fluids Under Nigerian Environmental Conditions; SPE Number 61043’. A paper on the subject of regulation of drilling fluids in International Conference on Health, Safety and Production, Stavanger, Norway, 26-28 June, 2000.
Others are ‘Biodegradability Assessment of Non-soluble Drilling Mud Base Fluids Under Nigerian Environmental Conditions’, presented at the International Seminar on the Petroleum Industry and the Nigerian Environment, Abuja – 1998 (co-authored) and ‘Guidelines for Environmental Quality Monitoring in Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry in Nigeria’, presented at the International Seminar on the Petroleum Industry and the Nigerian Environment, November, 1987.
Ladan has also been involved in a number of national and international assignments spanning decades.
He was Sitting Member; Oil & Gas Implementation Committee (OGIC) 2008 to date); Member – Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety & Security (PICOMMS) 2003 to 2005; Member – Petroleum Technology Development Fund Endowment Committee, PTDF Professorial Chair in Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (2001 to 2005); Secretary – National Interministerial Technical Committee on Lead-Free Gasoline in Nigeria (1989 to 1991); Secretary – National Inter-Agency Committee on Determination of Compensation Arising from Damages Due to Oil Pollution (1989 to 1992).
It was Ladan who directed and supervised the activities of the DPR Task Force on Monitoring of Petroleum Product Supply, Distribution and Marketing in Kaduna and other parts of the North (during the severe fuel scarcity period 2001 to 2003).
To further confirm his expertise in the sector, Ladan co-ordinated the drafting of the Procedure Guide for the Construction and Operations of Petroleum Products Depots Facilities in Nigeria (2007); drafting of the Procedure Guide for the Construction and Operation of Petroleum Products Retail Outlets in Nigeria (2006); drafting of Guidelines for the Resuscitation of Bunkering Operations in Nigeria (2006); drafting of Guidelines and Standards for the Operations of Pipelines and Oil Transportation in Nigeria (2007).
Similarly, the new DPR boss co-ordinated the revision and drafting of new Guidelines for the Establishment of Refinery, Petrochemical and Gas Processing Plants in Nigeria (2008); drafting of Guidelines and Standards for the Importation, Distribution, Supply and Marketing of Ethanol laden Gasoline (Biofuel) in Nigeria (2008); drafting of the Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Operation of Petroleum Product Retail Outlet Facilities in Riverine Areas (2006); drafting of the Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the petroleum Industry in Nigeria (1998 to 2001); the Revision and Drafting of Guidelines on Transportation of Petroleum Products (2007)
He is a member, Petroleum Institute, London; member, Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN); member, Nigeria Environmental Society (NES)
