Mr. Okeke and Mr. Udoma will be joining the Seplat Board
with effect from 1 December 2023, while Mr. Babs Omotowa will be joining the
Board on 1 April 2024.
As set out in the Board Succession Strategy announced in the
2022 Annual Report and by Corporate Announcement on the 25 April 2023 (RNS:
3575X), the Company embarked on the recruitment process in line with the Board
of Directors’ Succession Forward Plan.
As stipulated in the Companies and Allied Matters Act of
Nigeria (“CAMA”) the successor Chairman must already be a director and be voted
in by the other directors by a simple majority. In addition, in accordance with
Seplat’s Memorandum and Articles, the Chairman must be a Nigerian National.
Mr Basil Omiyi and Dr Charles Okeahalam, will step down from
the Board on the 31 of March 2024 after the 2023 Annual Report and Accounts
have been finalised and approved by the Board. The election for the next Seplat
Chairman will take place thereafter.
Mr. Christopher Okeke is a Nigerian Corporate Commercial
lawyer, diplomat, and agribusiness expert. Mr. Okeke graduated from Georgetown
Law School with an LLM in 1979 and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1980.
He co-founded a major Nigerian commercial Law firm,
Ajumogobia & Okeke, in 1984, where he served as the managing partner until
his retirement in 2009. While in active legal practice, Mr. Okeke led his
firm’s Project Financing and Privatisation Group, representing investors and
banks over many years.
Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma is an accomplished lawyer and seasoned
board administrator. Mr. Udoma attended St. Catherine’s College, Oxford,
England where he obtained a B.A. (Law) degree and a B.C.L. degree in
jurisprudence. He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1978. He founded the Law
Firm Udo-Udoma & Belo Osagie in 1983 and retired from active legal practice
in early 2020.
Whilst in practice, Mr. Udoma specialized in advising on
Nigerian investment laws and the investment environment, particularly in the
petroleum, energy, and natural resources sectors. He advised Nigerian and
international companies on company law, corporate restructuring, mergers and
acquisitions and the raising of financing in the capital and money markets, as
well as on major construction and engineering contracts.
Mr. Babs Omotowa is an international leader in the Energy
industry across Europe, Africa, the United States of America, Asia, and the
Middle East, in organisation leadership, commercial, strategy and operational
roles spanning over 26 years. Mr. Omotowa holds a B.Sc. in Industrial
Chemistry, masters degree in – business administration, specialising in
Operations Research and Supply Chain Management, and an Honorary Doctor of
Science.
Mr. Omotowa was the Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria LNG
Limited (“NLNG”) for almost 5 years from December 2011 to September 2016. Prior
to joining Nigeria LNG, he served in different capacities including as a
Vice-President Shell Sub-Saharan Africa, Director at Shell Petroleum
Development Company, a Non-Executive Director of West Africa Gas Pipeline
Company, amongst others. After his role as MD, NLNG, he served as a Vice
President of Shell Global Upstream E&P and later as Special Adviser to the
Shell Global Upstream Director.
Mr. Basil Omiyi, Chairman of SEPLAT Energy commenting said:
“The Board of SEPLAT Energy is pleased to welcome Mr. Christopher Okeke, Mr.
Udo Udoma and Mr. Babs Omotowa to the Board of SEPLAT Energy and the Board,
eagerly looks forward to the enormous contribution they will make towards the
Company’s strategic growth plans and achieving global success.”