A Trainer of Trainers in oil and Gas has urged leadership at all levels of society to place a high premium on the acquisition of skills and knowledge to develop analytical and critical minds for effective management of the new economy. Mr Emmanuel Emielu, Managing Partner of Oil and Gas Soft Skills Limited, Abuja, Nigeria, said this at the inception of a five-day international oil and gas training workshop being held in Accra. He said the oil and gas industry was a peculiar one that required finance, experience, knowledge and capital because it was very risky and expensive business where politics, religion and business were all mixed up. Mr Emielu said in view of opportunities in the oil industry, everyone was expectant of flowing oil money but warned that “money without responsible, proactive and forward-looking leadership could be problematic for the nation”. “Leadership to drive the industry at the national, company and individual level is very important because if you can’t lead yourself, you can’t lead anyone else,” he added. He noted that leadership was about setting a vision or target and getting people to the desired destination, adding that though making laws was necessary, it was not a sufficient condition to attain the desired result. Mr Emielu stressed that the human factor was very important from the angle of the lawmaker or implementer but cautioned that integrity that should go with the law was very important. “It is people and not just people by birth or nationality that matter but people with real knowledge and experience, and we need to build that capacity now,” he insisted. Source: GNA