BOG'S 20th Anniversary: Appreciation Message By Dr. Kayode Thomas, CEO

Appreciation!!!

Dear all,

It gives me great pleasure, accompanied by a flurry of emotions that cannot be described, to celebrate our 20th anniversary with everyone. Everyone should be encouraged by and proud of the BOG story. I certainly am. If you dig deeper, it is most inspiring. Although I was there from the very beginning, I still feel inspired. Looking back, I am amazed at how much we have achieved.

Everything we read about success can be seen and learned from the BOG story. I have outlined below, twenty attributes of success from the BOG story:

?1. Birth/creation

?2. The audacity of Vision

3. Strategic planning

4. Tactical planning

5. Partnerships and alliances

?6. 5ps of marketing

7. Team formation

8. People management

9. Corporate governance

10. Culture

11. Positive branding

12. Raising capital

13. Overcoming challenges

14. Winning

15. Losing

16. Managing changes (planned and forced)

17. Flexibility and adaptability

18. Making very tough and unpopular decisions

19. Self-confidence, self-belief, and faith in God

20. Never giving up

One major revelation I didn't see coming and that has truly motivated me, is the myriad of write-ups from staff narrating their experiences and what BOG means to them. A poem even emerged. Those stirred up so much emotion and inspiration. Perhaps my favourite quotation from the various submissions was from Ivan Turgenev: "If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin". And that is to reiterate the saying that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That is precisely the BOG story. You can therefore understand when I say BOG is a case study. It is down to us to study and learn from ourselves.

Still, we have a lot to learn. BOG reflects me and I am proud to reflect BOG. BOG started with zero experience and track record in oil and gas, so did I. BOG continues to learn, so do I. BOG has grown and matured, so have I. BOG is not perfect, neither am I. BOG is work in progress, so am I. BOG continues to evolve, so do I. Sometimes we look all over the place for inspiration when it is staring us in the face. BOG truly inspires me and should inspire you too.

Our achievements were not down to our abilities alone or some well-orchestrated stratagem. We are certainly fungible. But in quoting Doug Ivester as done by one of our staff in his write up, "never let your memories be greater than your dreams". The Bible puts it another way: “Do not be wise in your own eyes”. In other words, don't be impressed by your own wisdom (Prov.3:7).

As we commemorate our 20th anniversary today, let us be grateful and joyful. A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs 17:22).

I want to use this medium to express my profound appreciation to all our staff who have made the last 20 years worthwhile. Without your contributions, dedication, and commitment, the story would be different. Indeed, it has been 20 years of grace, friendship, challenges, learning, favour, development, progress, hope, accomplishments, thanksgiving, and growth at Bell Oil and Gas. We have come this far because of your value-adding contributions to this company. The past few years have been tough, and I am aware that you have had to go the extra mile. I value all your sacrifices in helping this company grow to where it is today. Thank you for all the little things and big things you do each day to help the company achieve its goals. Thank you for having faith and sticking with us.

We now need you all to help make the next 20 years even more formidable. “And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the net.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking” (Luke 5:5-6). God always needs a vessel to use. Peter's boat was available when Jesus asked if He may use it.

May the Lord use the BOG vessel to fulfill His purpose in our lives, within and beyond the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Happy 20th anniversary to all.

Kayode Thomas, CEO