By Dipo Olowookere
The over $1.3 billion finance position of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, comprising over $1 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) and over $300 million of local investment, has been applauded by federal government.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, gave this commendation on Monday when he received a delegation of the indigenous energy firm in his office in Abuja.
He described Seplat as “one of the nation’s brightest spots” while noting that “the growth of Seplat has been very thrilling to watch.”
During the visit, leader of the oil company’s team, Mr A.B.C Orjiako, who is Chairman of the firm, applauded the choice and appointment of Mr Sylva for the position, saying the tutelage received during his stint as the Special Assistant to the erstwhile Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mr Edmund Daukoru, had prepared him to deliver, excellently.
He further namechecked Seplat’s pioneer role of asset acquisition and how it has conscientiously grown into a fully Nigerian Company with a global outlook, stating that “seplat leads from the front.”
He expressed the company’s readiness and commitment to supporting the domestic gas penetration agenda and a huge appetite for even more asset acquisition.
On his part, the CEO of Seplat, Mr Austin Avuru, noted that the solid homegrown capacity of the organisation has rightly positioned it to fully embrace public sector partnerships, while stating the firm’s successful ventures with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Ltd (NPDC) and Nigerian Gas Marketing Company.
The Chief Financial Officer of Seplat, Mr Roger Brown, was excited to share the company’s solid balance sheet, which he said was a result of disciplined fund management and brand positioning.
Others on the entourage on Monday were Ifueko Omoigui Okauru (Independent Director, Seplat), Dr Chioma Nwachuku (General Manager, External Affairs and Communications, Seplat), Effiong Okon (Executive Director of Operations, Seplat) and Edith Onwuchekwa (Company Secretary, Seplat).
Adedapo Adesanya