The Board of Directors of Seplat Energy Plc has announced the approval of the appointment of Mr. Christopher John Okeke, Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma and Mr. Babs Omotowa as Independent Non-Executive Directors of the Company. Mr. Okeke and Mr. Udoma will be joining the Seplat Board with effect from 1 December 2023, while Mr. Babs Omotowa will be joining the Board on 1 April 2024.
As set out in the Board Succession Strategy announced in the 2022 Annual Report and by Corporate Announcement on the 25 April 2023 (RNS: 3575X), the Company embarked on the recruitment process in line with the Board of Directors’ Succession Forward Plan.
As stipulated in the Companies and Allied Matters Act of Nigeria (“CAMA”) the successor Chairman must already be a director and be voted in by the other directors by a simple majority. In addition, in accordance with Seplat’s Memorandum and Articles, the Chairman must be a Nigerian National.
Mr Basil Omiyi and Dr Charles Okeahalam, will step down from the Board on the 31 of March 2024 after the 2023 Annual Report and Accounts have been finalised and approved by the Board. The election for the next Seplat Chairman will take place thereafter.
Mr. Christopher Okeke is a Nigerian Corporate Commercial lawyer, diplomat, and agribusiness expert. Mr. Okeke graduated from Georgetown Law School with an LLM in 1979 and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1980. He co-founded a major Nigerian commercial Law firm, Ajumogobia & Okeke, in 1984, where he served as the managing partner until his retirement in 2009. While in active legal practice, Mr. Okeke led his firm’s Project Financing and Privatisation Group, representing investors and banks over many years.
Okeke has vast years of board experience, serving as nominee director for several international companies, including Philip Morris (including as chairman). He has served on several boards including – Cadbury Nigeria plc, SO & U Saatchi & Saatchi, Indorama Petrochemicals Nigeria Limited, Asset and Resource Management Limited, ARM Pension Managers (PFA) Limited. Mr Okeke was Ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay 2017-2020.
He has served as the Honorary Legal Adviser to successive British High Commissioners since1989. He has also served as legal advisor to the Federal Republic of Germany, the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands, Austria, Australia, and Canada, advising on consular and commercial matters. Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma, is an accomplished lawyer and seasoned board administrator. Mr. Udoma attended St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, England where he obtained a B.A. (Law) degree and a B.C.L. degree in jurisprudence. He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1978. He founded the Law Firm Udo-Udoma & Belo Osagie in 1983 and retired from active legal practice in early 2020.
Whilst in practice, Mr. Udoma specialized in advising on Nigerian investment laws and the investment environment, particularly in the petroleum, energy, and natural resources sectors. He advised Nigerian and international companies on company law, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and the raising of financing in the capital and money markets, as well as on major construction and engineering contracts.
