Joe-Ezigbo pushes for more women CEOs in energy sector at IWD 2026

By Ambrose Nnaji

The Chief Executive Officer of Falcon Corporation Limited, Audrey Joe‑Ezigbo, has called on Nigeria’s energy industry to sustain the momentum in appointing women to top leadership positions, especially across the gas value chain, as the sector commemorates International Women’s Day 2026.

Joe-Ezigbo made the call while reflecting on the growing number of women occupying executive positions in Nigeria’s oil, gas, and power industries, describing the trend as a significant shift in a sector historically dominated by men.

Founded in 1994, Falcon Corporation is a wholly indigenous energy firm with operations spanning the midstream and downstream segments. The company serves as the licensed Local Distribution Company responsible for developing and operating gas infrastructure supplying natural gas to industrial and commercial customers in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

Falcon has also expanded into the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market through trading, distribution, and infrastructure investments, including an LPG tank farm and jetty facility.

The company is part of Optimera Energy, a consortium implementing a long-term gas infrastructure development project in partnership with the Lagos Free Zone Company to build and operate a gas distribution network serving businesses within the zone.

With strong corporate governance and operational discipline, Falcon continues to strengthen its position in the market, supported by its ‘A’ long-term and ‘A1’ short-term credit ratings from Agusto & Co., reflecting financial stability and sound management.

Joe-Ezigbo noted that the current decade has witnessed a remarkable rise in female leadership across Nigeria’s energy sector, citing key appointments that signal a gradual but meaningful transformation in industry governance.

She highlighted notable leaders including Olu Verheijen, Special Adviser to the President on Energy; Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission; Folake Soetan; Jennifer Adighije; Wola Joseph‑Condotti; Elozino Olaniyan; Catherine Uju Ifejika; and Seinye Lulu‑Briggs, as examples of women shaping the future of the industry.

According to her, the increasing willingness of boards, regulators, and investors to entrust women with complex and capital-intensive responsibilities reflects growing maturity within the sector and recognition that leadership competence is not defined by gender.

She stressed that the gas sector remains central to Nigeria’s industrialisation and energy security agenda, adding that diversity in leadership must accompany ongoing investments in pipelines, distribution networks, and domestic gas utilisation.

Joe-Ezigbo said inclusive succession planning should become institutional practice rather than isolated milestones, noting that sustained progress will ensure the next generation of female engineers, economists, and executives inherit a sector defined by merit, opportunity, and equal access to leadership.

She added that International Women’s Day 2026 provides an opportunity for the industry not only to celebrate achievements but also to consolidate the gains already made in building a more inclusive and resilient energy sector.