By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The Group Managing Director of Japaul Gold and Ventures Plc, Mr Akinloye Daniel Oladapo, has resigned from the position, a statement on Wednesday confirmed.

It was disclosed that the resignation of Mr Oladapo took effect from October 13, 2025, with no reason given for his decision to exit the position.

However, the board thanked him for “his dedicated service and valuable contributions to the growth and development of the company during his tenure,” wishing him success in his future endeavours.

In a related development, the company announced the appointment of Mr Abubakar Lawal to the board as a non-executive director effective February 10, 2026.

The organisation said this development marks a pivotal moment in its evolution, as it positions itself to capitalise on emerging opportunities in gold exploration, mining technology, and sustainable resource development across Africa and beyond.

The new board member is the co-founder of an investment banking company, GTI Group, with specialities in public sector/corporate advisory, restructuring, and finance. It pioneered a private trading floor in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr Lawal has, over the last three decades, contributed immensely to the growth and development of investment banking in Nigeria. He has led various landmark transactions, some of which involved corporate restructuring and recapitalisation of publicly-quoted companies like International Breweries Plc, Eterna Plc, Wema Bank Plc, Morison Industries Plc, and state/sub-national accounts, among others.

An alumnus of Harvard Business School, he has a strong finance background, built on international relationships with local expertise. He is value-focused and quick to see diamonds in the rough.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has clarified that the viral report suggesting that it is currently employing new staff is the “handiwork of fake recruitment syndicates established to mastermind fraudulent activities.”

In a Monday statement posted on its official X handle, NMDPRA expressed that it was compelled to publish the disclaimer to alert the public against such activities due to what it described as “exploiting young economically vulnerable and unsuspecting Nigerians perhaps into parting with huge sums of money for purported employment opportunities into the authority.”

“They do this by issuing bogus “Letters of Employment” and empty promises, as well as offering non-existent positions. These may well be the handiwork of fake recruitment syndicates established to mastermind these fraudulent activities.

“We wish to use this opportunity to state categorically that the NMDPRA is NOT conducting any recruitment exercise currently. Neither is the Agency undertaking any kind of employment in its services at any level. For the avoidance of doubt, any future recruitment exercise would be undertaken in accordance with extant rules guiding such exercises in the Nigerian Public Service,” the organisation emphasised.

The agency further advised the public to disregard these fake employment advertisements and urged them to visit its official website and social media pages to verify any recruitment claims.

The statement added, “In this regard therefore, we would like to advise the public and all Nigerians to ignore these spurious claims by unscrupulous people whose only objective is to defraud Nigerians and cast aspersion on the authority.

“We further advise that for current and up to date information regarding all our activities, kindly refer to our official corporate website: www.nmdpra.gov.ng as well as all our verified online social media outlets (i.e. Facebook, Linkedln and Instagram) for authentic information.”

By Adedapo Adesanya

Aradel Holdings Plc has appointed Ms Nnoli Akpedeye as an Independent Non-Executive Director, effective February 2, 2026, following a resolution passed at the company’s board meeting held on January 28, 2026.

In a notice to shareholders, Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, and the investing public, the company disclosed that the appointment is subject to ratification by shareholders at its next Annual General Meeting (AGM). The board also authorised the Company Secretary, Mrs Titiola Omisore, to notify relevant regulators and take all necessary steps to give effect to the decision.

Ms Akpedeye brings more than 36 years of multi-disciplinary experience spanning oil and gas, engineering, legal and arbitration services, and management consulting. Her career reflects a strong blend of technical expertise and strategic leadership, with competencies in management and strategy, business process engineering, organisational development and change management, as well as entrepreneurship development.

Until 2014, she served as Technical Planning Manager for Shell Exploration and Production Companies in Nigeria, where she led the execution of high-impact, mission-critical projects. Over the course of her career at Shell, she held roles across civil engineering design, planning and construction, project management, facility management, technical audit, and business planning and strategy, gaining extensive local and international exposure.

Beyond her corporate career, Ms Akpedeye is an entrepreneur and advocate for capacity building in engineering and energy. She runs Contego Servo Limited and Perfectus Laundi Limited, and in 2013, she launched the “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” programme aimed at encouraging secondary school girls in Nigeria to pursue careers in engineering and related STEM fields.

She is a Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)-registered engineer, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE), and a past President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN). She is also a founding member of the Women in Energy Network (WIEN) and serves as a passionate ambassador for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.

In addition, Ms Akpedeye is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Compos Mentis Legal Practitioners and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Compos Mentis Foundation.

Her appointment further strengthens Aradel Holdings’ board with deep industry knowledge, governance experience, and a strong track record in leadership and institutional development, as the company continues to pursue its strategic objectives within Nigeria’s energy landscape.