Alex Nachi Tarka has been inaugurated as the President of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE). Mr. Tarka was sworn in as the 42nd NAPE President at the 37th NAPE Annual International Conference of the Association (NAICE), on the 17th November, 2019.
A thoroughbred oil man committed to the efficient exploration and production of petroleum and a strong advocate for the improvement of Geosciences education in Nigerian Universities. Mr. Tarka has served in the Association as Treasurer and Financial Secretary prior to becoming the President-Elect, and Chairman of Conference Planning Committee (CPC) of the 37th NAICE.
Mr. Tarka is the current Manager, Shell Joint Venture (NNPC/SPDC JV) & OML-98 Assets of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), in Benin-City. He has about 30 years of oil & gas experience, and started his career as a Trainee Wellsite Geologist in Elf Nigeria Limited, Port-Harcourt in 1990 under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. He was employed by NNPC in 1992, as a Wellsite Geologist and posted to NPDC. He has held several key positions of increasing responsibilities across the NNPC group including; Field Operations Production Geologist NAPIMS, Technical Assistant to GM, JV-Oil Operations Division NAPIMS, Deputy Manager Evaluation NAPIMS, Deputy Manager Geological Studies and later Geophysics Frontier Exploration Service (FES), and Manager Exploration NPDC.
Mr Tarka is an Old Boy of the prestigious Barewa College, Zaria. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree (BSc.) in Geology from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and a Postgraduate diploma (PGD) in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
At his inaugural address, he committed to continue the NAPE legacy of advancing geoscience academic excellence across all demography, institutions and subsectors of the economy. He also stated his resolve to support NAPE-Industry-Academia interactions to enhance knowledge sharing and relevant skills development.
He stressed the need to improve geoscience inputs in various sectors of the economy, especially oil & gas policy and regulatory oversight and the need to have NAPE members’ (erudite Geoscientists) representation and participation in the boards of relevant agencies, departments, ministries and parastatals. This is to ensure the inclusion of geoscience experience and expertise to help drive and strengthen the required governance, policies and structures of these establishments for sustainable national development.
He is dedicated to pushing for more robust policy advocacy to drive hydrocarbon reserves growth as well as lobby for members of NAPE to be appointed to the boards of the relevant companies, agencies and parastatals.Alex is a Certified Petroleum Geoscientist (CPG), registered Geoscientist by the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG), Fellow of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (FNAPE), and a Council Member, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS).He is happily married with children. His hobbies include swimming, reading, listening to music and charity work.