Governor Gavin Newsom of California has appointed a Nigerian, Uduak-Joe Ntuk, as the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, responsible for managing the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR).
The division uses science and sound engineering practices to regulate the drilling, operation and permanent closure of energy resource wells.
According to a statement from the governor’s office, Mr Ntuk had served as the Petroleum Administrator for the City of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the US.
The Nigerian engineer used to be on the payroll of companies such as Tyco, General Electric and Chevron.
The statement also said Ntuk is a strong believer in Nigeria and its potentials and had expressed his will to share his expertise to further develop the Nigerian petroleum industry and the possibilities of building a mutually-beneficial relationship with the state of California.
“He is the first Nigerian-American to hold this position in California’s history and his family is from the Port City of Calabar, Cross River State,” said the statement.
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