TWO leading figures in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, Dr. Sophia Horsfall of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) and Dr. Obinna Ezeobi of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), will headline a high-level panel discussion at the 14th Anniversary Lecture Series of Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited.
A press statement, signed by Realnews Magazine’s Publisher/Editor, Dr Maureen Chigbo, said the panel will examine the theme, “Geopolitical Turbulence and Energy Security: Forging Strategic Opportunities for Africa,” immediately after the anniversary lecture scheduled for Thursday, November 19, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Isaac John, Ikeja, GRA, Lagos. The event will commence at 10 a.m.
Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development at NLNG, and Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications at NCDMB, are expected to bring their wealth of industry experience and professional expertise to discussions on the implications of global geopolitical developments for Africa’s energy security and the opportunities they present for the continent.
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 Head of 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 was Corporate Relations Manager at Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria.
In her current position, Horsfall provides strategic leadership in stakeholder engagement, corporate reputation, external relations and sustainable development. Her responsibilities include advancing initiatives in community development, healthcare, entrepreneurship and human capacity development.
A medical doctor by training, she 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 INSEAD, the University of Cambridge and Lagos Business School.
Horsfall is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and belongs to several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Institute of Directors.
Beyond her corporate responsibilities, she 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, and has participated in several humanitarian and social impact initiatives.
Ezeobi, on his part, was appointed General Manager, Corporate Communications at NCDMB in May 2025. He has extensive experience in oil and gas, public relations, advertising and journalism, with academic qualifications in Mass Communication and Energy Communication from the University of Nigeria and the University of Port Harcourt, respectively.
During his 15 years at NCDMB, Ezeobi has played key roles in policy development and modelling, strategy development, media relations, crisis communication, community relations, stakeholder management and leadership communication.
He has also conceived and executed several communication campaigns that have shaped the board’s public image and stakeholder engagement. These include NCDMB’s first 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 governing councils of the board.
Other initiatives include communication campaigns around the launch and remodelling of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, national and international oil and gas conferences and exhibitions, as well as the development and management of NCDMB’s media platforms.
In April 2025, Ezeobi unveiled his first book, Nigeria’s Local Content: A Journey of Strategic Communication and Economic Transformation. The publication received endorsements from notable personalities in Nigeria’s and Africa’s energy and communication sectors and attracted favourable media reviews.
He also draws on his journalism background, academic training and industry experience to moderate conference sessions and conduct interviews on developments in the energy sector.
Before joining NCDMB in 2010, Ezeobi worked as a journalist with leading media organisations, including PUNCH Newspapers and New Age Newspapers, covering energy, the economy, marketing communications and sports.
Realnews had earlier announced that Engr. Debo Fagbami, Managing Director of NEDO Gas Company Limited (NEDOGAS), would chair the anniversary lecture and moderate the panel discussion. The keynote address will be delivered by Engr. Chuka Eze, Managing Director of Frazimex Engineering Limited, an Oilserv Group company.
The 14th Anniversary Lecture is part of Realnews’ annual initiative to recognise distinguished minds in society and draw on their expertise to enrich discussions on national and continental development.
Established to commemorate the magazine’s anniversary, the lecture series has featured prominent personalities from Nigeria and across Africa, addressing issues ranging from governance and economic development to security, illicit financial flows and public health.
The 13th Anniversary Lecture was delivered by Dr. Musa Adamu, SAN, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in 2025, on the theme, “Cybersecurity, Illicit Financial Flows and Achieving Agenda 2063 in Africa.”
Other past speakers include former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Ambassador Professor Ibrahim Gambari; Dr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., former Director-General of the ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA); and Brigadier General Buba Marwa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The series has also featured former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, former Minister of Education and World Bank Vice-President Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, and former Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, among others.
