In this post, platinumtimes.ng will work you through top Women who are making waves in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Women have over the years recorded huge success and secured a good name for themselves in diverse sectors of the economy.
A woman’s ultimate duty is no longer restricted to the home as it was in previous times.
Different women have emerged to be rated among the prominent people in the world.
Coming down to an economy which is dominated by the male folks especially in Nigeria, some women have left their footprints and restructured the different sectors of the economy particularly the oil and gas sector through their innovative ideas and exemplary leadership.
Here are 9 women who are thriving Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
- Folorunsho Alakija
- Bola Shagaya
- Catherine Uju Ifejika
- Amy Jadesimi
- Godrey Ogbechie
- Winifred Akpani
- Audrey Ezigbo
- Moroti Adedoyin-Adeyinka
- Victoria Samson
Folorunsho Alakija
She presently holds the position of vice-chairman at Famfa Oil Limited, she is rated among the wealthiest women globally.
Alakija’s company, Famfa Limited, was granted a licence to explore oil on a 617,000-acre area known as OPL 216.
She transferred 40 percent of her 100 percent ownership to Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited, a Texaco subsidiary, and they were named as technical consultants for exploration as part of a joint venture agreement she signed.
After the company discovered oil, the government attempted to acquire a 50 percent share, but Alakija filed a lawsuit and won.
She was listed by Forbes magazine as the 96th most powerful woman in the world in 2014.
Alakija also established a foundation named Rose of Sharon Foundation where she has empowered many widows, orphans, and underprivileged individuals.
Bola Shagaya
Bola Shagaya is the founder of Voyage Oil and Gas Limited, an exploration company, and the managing director of Practoil Limited, a business that imports and sells base oil in Nigeria.
She previously worked in the audit division of the Central Bank of Nigeria before starting her own business.
She first made in a stint in the importation and marketing of photographic supplies throughout West Africa and Nigeria.
She is a graduate of accounting at Armstrong College in California, USA and holds an economics degree from Ahmadu Bello University in Kaduna.
Catherine Ifejika
Catherine Ifejika is the chairman and chief executive officer of Britannia-U, an indigenous integrated company that provides subsurface engineering, exploration and production, and consulting services in the energy sector.
She began her career in the oil and gas sector in 1987 as a junior counsel in Texaco’s legal department before she was elevated to the position of secretary for public and government affairs for West Africa.
she also served on the board of directors of the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture from 2001 to 2002.
Amy Jadesimi
Amy Jadesimi is the CEO of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL).
After graduating from medical school, Jadesimi worked in London for Goldman Sachs International’s investment banking division, where she specialised in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance.
She attended Stanford Business School in California, USA, to obtain a Master’s degree in Business Administration to further her expertise.
She bagged her first degree in psychological sciences from Oxford University and her second degree in medicine from the Oxford University Medical School.
She joined LADOL, a logistics base designed to meet the specific needs of deep water offshore oil and gas operations in and around Nigeria in 2004.
She was a founding member of the Commission on Business and Sustainable Development and in 2014, she was listed by Forbes magazine as one of ‘The 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa’.
Godrey Ogbechie
Godrey Ogbechie is the group executive director of Rainoil Limited. She is a graduate of Agricultural Economics and Extension from the University of Calabar
She began her career in the banking sector with Fidelity Bank Plc and Universal Trust Bank Limited taking on several roles and positions.
During her tenure in the banking industry, she accumulated substantial expertise in operations, customer service, audit, and human resource management.
With her vast knowledge and expertise, she has been pivotal in the operations and management of Rainoil Limited.
Audrey Ezigbo
Audrey Ezigbo together with her husband, co-founded Falcon Corporation Limited, and she has been instrumental in the expansion and success of the business.
She functions as the managing director and primary strategist of Falcongaz Limited, in addition to her position at Falcon Corporation Limited and a former president of the Nigeria Gas Association.
Theoil and gas corporation offers a variety of services, such as distribution of natural gas and engineering, procurement, construction, and real estate.
Winifred Akpani
Winifred Akpani is the managing director and chief executive officer of Northwest Petroleum and Gas Company Limited, a business involved in the exploration, production, and marketing of petroleum products.
Northwest Petroleum has evolved to be a major player in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. With operations in petroleum product distribution, retail, and storage, the corporation is well-represented in the industry’s downstream sector.
She is also a philantropist who focuses mostly on education, where she has supported the education of numerous vulnerable Nigerian children.
Moroti Adedoyin-Adeyinka
Moroti Adedoyin-Adeyinka serves as an executive director of Sahara Group, a Nigerian energy and infrastructure company with operations in over 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She is a former CEO of Asharami Synergy, a subsidiary of Sahara Group.
She worked as an accountant for KLM from 1998 to 2001. In 2002, she moved on to work for Sahara Group.
In 2006, she was promoted from Finance Manager to Group Treasurer. She was appointed CEO of the company’s trading division in 2009.
She attended Harvard University in Boston, USA, after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Lagos in 1991. There, she earned a certification in General Management in 2008.
Victoria Samson
Victoria Samson is the dealer for Texaco Nigeria Limited where she was awarded the company’s Best Dealer Award in recognition of her remarkable work.
In 1980, she and her husband, Bamidele Samson, co-founded the Bovas Group first with it’s filling station located at Oshogbo, Osun State in 1991.
The company was founded as an independent petroleum marketing company. Since then, the business has expanded, and it now runs 119 service stations throughout Nigeria.
Bovas Group launched a liquefied petroleum gas facility in 1995, and it currently runs about 20 gas skids.