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    Friday, May 20, 2022

    Seplat Energy Appoints Omiyi as Chairman

    Seplat Energy Plc, Nigeria’s leading energy company with dual listing on the Nigerian and the London Stock Exchanges, has announced the appointment of Mr. Basil Omiyi, as the company’s new independent non-executive chairman, following the retirement of co-founder and pioneer chairman, Dr. ABC Orjiako and and his partner Mr Austin Avuru.

    The company also announced the appointment of Dr. Charles Okeahalam to succeed Mr. Omiyi as the senior independent non-executive director.

    Both appointments take effective immediately.

    This is as representatives of Nigerian shareholder groups who were at Seplat Energy Plc 9th annual general meeting held in Lagos on Wednesday, applauded Dr. ABC Orjiako who just retired after 13 years as the board chairman of the energy firm.

    Speaking at the AGM, Ayodele Kudaisi of Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN) said, shareholders were unhappy that he iwas retiring but that his legacy which develop Seplat Energy to where it is currently, lives on.

    To him, “it is so painful to all shareholders that you have to leave at this point in time. You have done so well and so much for the entity called Seplat Energy.

    “You and your team have taken Seplat to an enviable position among all its peers, with resiliency, commitment, focus and unsurpassed objectivity. You have come, you have seen and you have conquered. We are definitely going to miss you here, but don’t be too far away from Seplat.”

    Also speaking, another shareholder who is the current national coordinator, ISAN,  Dr. Anthony Omoniyi Omojola, stressed that, “that Seplat Energy Plc is a reliable energy company with limitless potentials is not a mere statement. This has been aptly demonstrated in our performance in the 2021 annual report and accounts we are considering.”

    “You have shown leadership by example by your actions as we pray to reap the benefits of this well planned out accelerated growth pattern. We congratulate you. We are proud that the strong foundation you have laid to position Seplat as a leading indigenous energy company in Nigeria within a short space.”

    Similarly, the president,  Noble Shareholders Solidarity Association (NSSA), Matthew Akinlade, said: “this is a unique occasion that one must commend the board and management of the company for stellar performance.

    I felt highly impressed the kind of progress. The turn around of the company this year to significantly improved profitability and what you are doing to take the company to higher heights especially the acquisition of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU).

    Meanwhile, speaking on Omiyi, the company said his appointment followed a thorough assessment of internal and external candidates and was approved after a unanimous vote by all Directors of Seplat Energy, in compliance with the Companies and Allied Matters Act in Nigeria (“CAMA”).

    Omiyi has been a member of Seplat Energy’s board of directors since March 2013 and as senior Independent non-executive director from February  2021.

    During this period, he sat on the Company’s Remuneration, Nominations & Governance, Energy Transition, and Risk Management & HSSE committees.

    His experience in the energy industry is extensive, with more than 40 years at Royal Dutch Shell, during which time he held senior roles in Nigeria and Europe, including becoming managing director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria in 2004 and in addition, country chairman of Shell Companies, Nigeria, until his retirement in 2009.

    Omiyi has held several leadership positions in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, including: chairman, Upstream Industry Group (Oil Producers Trade Section, Lagos Chambers of Commerce & Industry) from 2007-2010; chairman of the Energy Sector of NEPAD Business Group, Nigeria, and Board Member NEPAD Business Group, Nigeria from 2005-2010; chairman, of the Oil & Gas Commission of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group from 2005-2010; and Board Member, Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) 2007-2010. Mr. Omiyi is also the independent non-executive chairman of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, a subsidiary of Standard Bank Group, a post he has held since 2015.

    In 2011, he was awarded the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger for pioneering leadership in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

    On his part, Dr. Charles Okeahalam joined the board in March 2013 as an independent non-executive director, and is chairman of Seplat Energy’s Finance Committee, and a member of the Energy Transition, Remuneration, and Nominations & Governance committees.

    Dr. Okeahalam has extensive corporate finance and capital markets expertise and in particular, detailed knowledge of African financial markets, economies and the investment industry. He was a co-founder of AGH Capital Group, a private equity and diversified investment holding company based in Johannesburg, with assets in several African countries. Prior to co-founding AGH Capital Group in 2002, he was a Professor of Financial Economics and Banking at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

    His other roles have included advising a number of African central banks and government ministries, the World Bank and the United Nations. He has held several board positions and is a former non-executive chairman of Heritage Bank Limited, Nigeria. Since March 2016 he has served as the non-executive chairman of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company.

    Roger Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy, said:

    “As the founders of Seplat Energy Dr. ABC Orjiako and Mr. Austin Avuru step off the board and the Company moves into the next chapter of its development, Seplat has once again demonstrated its commitment to strong corporate governance in delivering on its promise of appointing an Independent Non-Executive Chairman.

    Mr. Basil Omiyi has been a leading figure in the Nigerian oil and gas sector and also with Seplat Energy, having joined its Board in 2013 and helped it to achieve a dual listing in April 2014.

    The vast depth of experience and his detailed knowledge of Seplat Energy will be invaluable as we continue to evolve and mature the company. He has provided invaluable guidance as an Independent Director and I look forward to his continued leadership as our new Independent Non-Executive Chairman.

    We will also benefit from the considerable expertise of Dr. Charles Okeahalam as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, especially his experience and knowledge of Africa’s economies and its financial markets.

    Under their guidance we will continue to expand and consolidate our position as Nigeria’s leading energy company and the partner of choice to deliver energy transition for Africa’s largest economy and its rapidly growing population.”

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