The sole operator of OML 17 in Nigeria Delta, Nigeria, and a subsidiary of Heirs Holdings Limited (HH), Heirs Oil & Gas (HHOG), has announced the appointment of Osayande Igiehon as its new Chief Executive Officer. Before assuming office last week, Mr Igiehon was previously a Vice-President with the Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) Group in Hague, Netherland, bringing over twenty-seven years of experience and expertise in the oil and gas sector to the Company.

Apart from serving in several senior management positions, Mr Igiehon had also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Shell Gabon. Upon assuming office, in a statement made available to a Nigerian media outlet, Daily Independent, he promised to use his wealth of experience to put the company in the driving position to fix Africa’s energy needs.

He stated: “HHOG represents an extraordinary opportunity, to create Africa’s first true integrated energy company, with a mission to ensure that Africa’s natural resources are directed toward value creation in Africa, powered by sustainable, robust and abundant African energy. I am excited to join the Heirs Oil and Gas leadership team and look forward to the opportunity to transform the energy sector, purposefully address Africa’s energy needs and improve the lives of people across Africa.”

Aside from the CEO, the company also announced the appointment of the following industry leaders to the board:

1. Sally Udoma: Sally previously served as general counsel for Chevron Europe, Asia, and the Middle East Exploration and Production. She was previously the general counsel for Sasol Chevron Consulting Limited and managing counsel at the London Legal Service Centre for Chevron Global Upstream and Gas. She has also served as general counsel and general manager for Chevron Nigeria Limited.
2. Anil Dua: Anil is a founding partner at Gateway Partners Limited, a private equity fund specialising in dynamic growth markets including Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Before this, he worked for over thirty-five years with Standard Chartered Bank in Asia, Africa, Europe and the US, where he held various roles including Regional CEO West Africa and Regional Head of Origination and Client Coverage, Africa.
3. Ahmadu Kida Musa: Ahmadu previously served as Deputy Managing Director of Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited. He has over thirty-two years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry and brings considerable expertise in Nigerian oil and gas.
4. Stanley Lawson: Stanley currently serves on the board of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc. He is Managing Partner at Financial Advisory & Investment Consultants Ltd. Dr Lawson previously occupied the position of Group Executive Director-Finance & Accounts at Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.
5. Samuel Nwanze: Samuel is the Chief Finance Officer at Heirs Oil and Gas. Before this, he was the Chief Investment Officer at Heirs Holdings responsible for the investment and capital management.

The Chairman of the Board, Tony O. Elumelu, commented: “I am delighted to welcome our new board members. We are building a role model institution for African businesses and our investment in human capital is a further strong demonstration of our intent. The regional and global expertise of our board members will serve to further drive value creation to our continent, as we execute our goal of becoming Africa’s largest, indigenous, integrated, energy company.”