By Editor

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has marked the end of an era with a symbolic sendoff in Abuja for its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philip Mshelbila, whose four-year tenure reshaped the company’s strategy at one of the most turbulent moments in the global energy industry.

Mshelbila formally exits NLNG on December 31 to assume office as Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Doha, Qatar, a move that elevates a Nigerian energy executive to the forefront of global gas diplomacy. In his place, the NLNG Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Engr. Adeleye Falade as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, effective April 2026. Falade joins NLNG from Brunei LNG, where he currently serves as MD/CEO, bringing deep international LNG operational experience to the company.

The Abuja ceremony drew NLNG directors, executives of shareholder companies, senior public sector officials, energy industry leaders, and representatives of management and staff—an indication of the strategic weight of Mshelbila’s stewardship.

Speaking at the event, NLNG’s Deputy Managing Director, Olakunle Osobu, described Mshelbila as a rare blend of professional depth and strategic clarity, noting that his background spans medicine, environmental health, business leadership, and global energy engagement. According to Osobu, Mshelbila assumed office at a time when NLNG was confronting overlapping crises: the economic aftershocks of COVID-19, devastating floods that damaged critical gas infrastructure, persistent pipeline vandalism, and repeated force majeure declarations by gas suppliers. These domestic challenges were compounded by global energy market disruptions triggered by the Russia–Ukraine war.

“Yet,” Osobu said, “his response was not retrenchment but transformation.”

A defining pillar of Mshelbila’s legacy was a decisive shift in NLNG’s feed-gas strategy. Recognising the risks of over-reliance on shareholder joint-venture gas supplies, he championed a bold diversification drive. In August 2025, NLNG signed long-term Gas Supply Agreements (GSAs) with six third-party gas suppliers, securing an estimated 1,290 million standard cubic feet per day of feed-gas. The move marked a historic departure from NLNG’s traditional supply model and significantly strengthened the company’s resilience and long-term sustainability.

Beyond supply security, Mshelbila drove a broader transformation agenda focused on emissions reduction, environmental stewardship, and operational safety. Osobu noted that the outgoing MD inspired a renewed workforce commitment to innovation and sustainability, laying foundations for future value creation in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.

Echoing these sentiments, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, praised Mshelbila’s leadership style and foresight. “You led with humility but inspired excellence. You carried immense challenges with calm resolve and charted a path toward sustainability long before it became fashionable”, she said

In his response, Mshelbila thanked NLNG’s shareholders, Board, employees, and industry partners for their support, describing NLNG’s culture of innovation and excellence as a defining strength he would carry into his new role. As Secretary-General of GECF, he said, his focus would be on strengthening cooperation between gas-producing and gas-consuming nations and advancing natural gas as a reliable and sustainable energy source in the global transition.

With Falade’s appointment, NLNG signals continuity in global outlook and operational discipline, even as the company prepares for its next phase. For Mshelbila, the transition marks not just the end of a corporate tenure, but the start of a broader role shaping the future of gas on the world stage.

By Editor

The Federal Government of Nigeria has reduced the signature bonus for oil blocks in the 2025 licensing round to between $3 million and $7 million, down from the previously approved $10 million, as part of efforts to lower entry barriers and attract more investors.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) disclosed this in an update published on its website, noting that the revised figures were approved by the Minister of Petroleum.

“Interested in one of the oil blocks listed for the 2025 Licensing Round? The Nigerian government has graciously reduced the signature bonus to between $3m and $7m,” the commission stated.

“All bidders shall be required to submit a bid within this range as approved by the minister for the reduction of entry barriers.”, it added.

The reduction represents a further cut from the 2024 adjustment, when the Federal Government slashed signature bonuses from as high as $200 million to $10 million. At the time, the Chief Executive of NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, said the commission benchmarked Nigeria’s fiscal terms against peer jurisdictions such as Brazil and concluded that a significant reduction was necessary to improve competitiveness.

A signature bonus is a non-refundable payment made by a contractor to the government upon the signing of a petroleum agreement. Companies awarded oil or gas assets are required to pay the bonus before commencing operations.

Under the revised structure, deepwater assets—which previously attracted a $10 million signature bonus—will now require up to $7 million, while shallow water and onshore assets have been reduced to as low as $3 million.

The commission also clarified that signature bonuses must be paid in United States dollars. “The designated signature bonus account is United States dollar-denominated,” the NUPRC said.

According to the regulator, successful bidders in the 2025 licensing round will be issued a Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPL). The licence grants the holder the exclusive right to drill exploration and appraisal wells, the non-exclusive right to conduct petroleum exploration activities within the licensed area, and the right to dispose of hydrocarbons produced during testing.

The licence will have an initial duration of three years, with a possible three-year extension for onshore and shallow water assets, while deepwater and frontier acreages will have an initial tenure of five years.

The NUPRC added that the licensing round will follow a two-stage bidding process, comprising a qualification stage and a bid stage.

The qualification stage will involve the submission and evaluation of applications by interested companies or consortia, after which only shortlisted bidders will proceed to the bid stage and execute a confidentiality agreement.

At the bid stage, shortlisted applicants will submit technical and commercial bids in line with the applicable regulations, guidelines, and bidding documents.

The commission also warned that no bidder—whether acting alone or as part of a consortium—may apply for more than two assets in total across all applications.

By Editor

Nigeria’s push to modernise its agricultural sector has gained fresh momentum following high-level engagements with leading Chinese agribusiness firms in Beijing.

A delegation led by Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, and the Director-General of the Nigeria–China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), Joseph Tegbe, embarked on a series of strategic meetings and facility tours aimed at accelerating livestock development and agro-industrial growth in Kaduna State and across Nigeria.

During the visit, the delegation toured Beijing Doudian Yisheng Halal Meat Industry Co. Ltd and CP Food Layers and Eggs Ltd—two major players in China’s livestock and poultry ecosystem. The engagements build on earlier NCSP discussions with DQY Ecological Farm, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Group and one of China’s most advanced agricultural technology platforms.

According to officials on the mission, discussions focused on deepening technical cooperation, finalising project frameworks, and securing long-term investment commitments from Chinese partners to strengthen Nigeria’s livestock value chain.

The NCSP said the engagements align with the Federal Government’s priorities on food security, agricultural industrialisation, and foreign investment expansion under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

A key outcome of the collaboration is the proposed $200 million National Integrated Poultry Development Project, with its pilot phase to be located in Kaduna State. The project, designed for replication across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, is expected to become one of West Africa’s most technologically advanced poultry enterprises, helping to reduce the cost of eggs and other poultry products through large-scale, efficient production.

When fully operational, the Kaduna pilot is projected to generate over $450 million in annual revenue and create more than 350,000 direct and indirect jobs across the national poultry value chain. Analysts say the initiative could significantly boost food production capacity, enhance export competitiveness, and support Nigeria’s economic diversification efforts.

The delegation expressed appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for its continued partnership, while Chinese institutions involved signaled strong interest in expanding investment and technology cooperation with Nigeria.

The NCSP reaffirmed its commitment to driving high-impact bilateral partnerships that strengthen Nigeria–China relations, accelerate agricultural modernisation, and unlock inclusive economic opportunities nationwide.