A Career Built Across the Energy Industry
When Seplat Energy announced that Effiong Okon would become its new Chief Executive Officer on August 1, 2026, it marked the culmination of a career that has spanned more than three decades across some of the world’s most important oil and gas provinces.
An engineer by training and an operator by instinct, Okon brings more than 35 years of experience in petroleum engineering, reservoir management, offshore operations, gas development and corporate leadership.
His career has taken him from technical engineering roles to executive responsibility for some of the largest and most strategically significant energy assets in Nigeria and beyond.
At a time when Nigeria’s energy industry is undergoing profound change—with indigenous companies assuming greater responsibility for former international oil company assets and gas emerging as a central pillar of national energy policy—Seplat’s board has turned to a leader whose career combines technical expertise with experience in business transformation and energy transition strategy.
Taking the Helm at a Defining Moment
Okon’s appointment forms part of a broader leadership transition at Seplat Energy as the company seeks to position itself for its next phase of growth.
He succeeds Roger Brown, who has led the company through a period of significant expansion, including major acquisitions and the strengthening of Seplat’s position as Nigeria’s leading indigenous energy company.
The appointment comes as Seplat increasingly evolves from a traditional upstream oil producer into a broader energy company with significant interests in natural gas, power and lower-carbon energy opportunities.
The company has described the leadership transition as part of preparations for its long-term growth strategy and its ambitions for 2030.
Championing Seplat’s Energy Transition
One of the most distinctive chapters of Okon’s recent career was his tenure as Director of New Energy at Seplat between 2022 and 2024.
In that role, he was responsible for helping shape the company’s response to the global energy transition. His mandate extended beyond traditional oil and gas operations to include decarbonisation initiatives, integrated gas development, renewable energy opportunities and the execution of Seplat’s broader ESG strategy.
The assignment placed him at the centre of efforts to reposition Seplat as a company capable of supplying the energy Nigeria needs today while preparing for a future in which investors, regulators and customers increasingly demand cleaner and more sustainable energy systems.
His work covered initiatives in gas-to-power, LNG, CNG and LPG, as well as the company’s emerging interest in renewable energy technologies and long-term net-zero ambitions.
Delivering the ANOH Gas Project
Before his elevation to chief executive, Okon served as Managing Director of the ANOH Gas Processing Company (AGPC), one of Nigeria’s most important gas infrastructure projects.
The ANOH project, developed through a partnership involving Seplat Energy and NNPC, occupies a central place in Nigeria’s efforts to increase domestic gas supply and support industrial development and electricity generation.
Under Okon’s leadership, the project achieved first gas in January 2026, a milestone that represented years of planning, engineering and stakeholder coordination.
For Nigeria’s gas sector, the achievement was significant not only because of the additional gas volumes it brings to market but also because it demonstrated the ability of indigenous operators to execute large-scale energy infrastructure projects.
Driving Operational Excellence
Okon’s reputation within Seplat was established long before ANOH.
Between 2018 and 2022, he served as Executive Director of Operations, overseeing production across the company’s portfolio of oil and gas assets.
The role placed him at the centre of efforts to improve production performance, strengthen safety systems, manage large capital expenditure programmes and enhance operational reliability.
During this period, Seplat continued to build its reputation among investors as one of Nigeria’s most professionally managed indigenous energy companies, combining operational performance with strong corporate governance and access to international capital markets.
The experience provided Okon with direct exposure to the operational, financial and stakeholder-management challenges associated with running a publicly listed energy company.
The Shell Foundation
Much of the technical foundation for Okon’s later executive career was built during more than two decades with Shell.
His assignments took him across Nigeria, Qatar, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, exposing him to some of the industry’s most sophisticated production and reservoir-management environments.
Among his senior positions was General Manager for Offshore Assets in Nigeria, where he managed complex production facilities, large operational budgets and multidisciplinary teams.
Earlier reservoir engineering and field-development roles involved reserves management, production optimisation and long-term asset planning.
Those years helped shape a leader equally comfortable discussing subsurface geology, production systems, capital allocation and corporate strategy.
An Executive for a Changing Industry
Throughout his career, Okon has developed expertise across the full energy value chain, including reservoir engineering, offshore operations, gas processing, project execution, asset integrity, operational governance and corporate leadership.
What distinguishes him from many traditional industry executives, however, is his direct involvement in both hydrocarbons and energy-transition initiatives.
As investors increasingly demand lower-carbon growth pathways while still requiring reliable energy supplies, leaders capable of navigating both worlds have become particularly valuable.
That combination of operational depth and strategic adaptability is likely to define his tenure as chief executive.
About Seplat Energy
Seplat Energy was founded in 2009 through a partnership between Shebah Petroleum Development Company and Platform Petroleum, with the objective of acquiring and operating assets being divested by international oil companies in Nigeria.
Over the past decade and a half, the company has grown into Nigeria’s leading indigenous energy producer, becoming one of the few Nigerian companies listed simultaneously on both the Nigerian Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.
Its growth has mirrored the broader indigenisation of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Under Roger Brown’s leadership, Seplat expanded through a series of acquisitions, including Eland Oil & Gas in 2019 and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited in 2024, transforming the company from a mid-sized upstream producer into one of the country’s most important energy businesses.
The company has also increasingly repositioned itself around natural gas and energy transition opportunities.
Reflecting that strategic shift, it changed its corporate identity from Seplat Petroleum Development Company to Seplat Energy, signalling ambitions beyond crude oil production.
Recent years have also brought significant changes to its ownership structure.
In a landmark transaction completed at the end of 2025, Heirs Holdings and Heirs Energies acquired a 20.07 percent stake previously held by French energy company Maurel & Prom, becoming Seplat’s largest shareholder in a deal valued at approximately $500 million.
The transaction paved the way for the appointment of Tony Elumelu to the board in January 2026 and his subsequent designation as incoming chairman from January 2027.
Today, Seplat stands at the centre of Nigeria’s evolving energy landscape: a company born from the first wave of indigenous participation in the oil industry and now positioning itself as a leading player in natural gas, power and the country’s broader energy transition.
It is that company—and that strategic challenge—that Effiong Okon now inherits as chief executive.
