LAWYER SENANU GRABS BEST STUDENT IN GAS MANAGEMNT

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

Mr. Kombla Dogbe Senanu, the lawyer who represented Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Dr. Omane Boamah, in the controversial state bungalow saga at the Supreme Court against Mr. Jake Obetsibi Lamptey, has received an award of being the best student in Oil and Gas Management program from the Coventry University in the United Kingdom (UK).

He was also the lawyer in the cocaine- turn- to baking soda case, where the cocaine suspect, Nana Ama Martins,  was acquitted and discharged after the substances was mysteriously  turned into sodium bi-carbonate when  retested upon the order of court after it was tendered as exhibit in court.

The award was giving to him at a congregation ceremony at the Ghana Telecom University College, after going through an intensive one year MBA program by the Coventry University (UK) in Accra.

The award reads, “ Kombla Dogbe Senanu, is hereby presented with this award,  for being the best MBA Oil and Gas Management related program by the Coventry University, UK ,  on this Saturday July 7, 2012.”

However, in an interview with The Enquirer, shortly after the ceremony, Mr. Senanu said the emerging of Oil/Gas industries in the country following the discovering of oil in the country had motivated him to go for the course which would equip him as a lawyer to do his work.

He said it would be unfortunate on the part of  legal experts in the country to sit unconcern and allow the opportunity to go when there was the need to study and know the legal implication of the new industry which happen to have high record of legal issues across the world.

According to lawyer Senanu, with the emerging of Oil/Gas business in the country, there was the need for lawyers to also acquire knowledge in the industry so they would be able to litigate whenever an issue of litigation merged.

“For me, this course is very important and as a lawyer, I need to equip myself, because the oil industry has a lot of legal issues, we have environmental issues, boundaries issues and others that need to be properly handle in terms of litigation and I would not want to stay unconcern for my country to be affected by all these problems,” he stated.

 He further told The Enquirer that, “for Ghanaians to be able  turn the negative perception that, oil found is a curse or devil excreta rather than a blessing, everybody, irrespective of your profession need  to know something about Oil and Gas , so we could manage it very well .”

He said it took commitment, hard work and intensive  learning and  research for him to be able to emerged the best student  and to received the award, stressing that  every Ghanaian need at least some knowledge in the oil and gas industry to be able to make good use of the resources.

Mr. Senanu  told the Enquirer that, one of the biggest threat to oil producing  countries was environmental problems and believes  that if legal practitioners and others whose role are vital in protecting the environment  acquired the knowledge , it would go a long way to  reduce if not prevent the environmental impact on Ghanaians.

At least 253 students were graduated with different filed of studies of MSc or MBA degrees in Supply Chain Management, Engineering Management, Engineering Business Management, Financial Management, Information System, Oil and Gas Management, Logistics and Information Technology.

Some of the graduands also received special awards for distinguishing themselves in their field of studies.

The Chairman of the Ghana Telecom University Council, Professor Walter Sandow Alhassan, charged the graduands to make good use of the opportunity and the skills they acquired to help transform the country state of technology in the information and communication Technology (ICT) System.

According to him, curiosity is the best way of research and that there was no room for excuse after obtaining the post graduates degrees , stressing that the country was at the trying moment in transformation of technology  and  their services was needed at every sector of the economy.

He also charged the graduates to be innovative and create jobs rather than looking for non-existing ones which they would never found.