Heirs Energies Leadership Forum 2025 Public And Private Sector Leaders Unite To Drive Nigeria’s Oil Production Growth

Heirs Energies, Africa’s fastest growing indigenous integrated energy company, hosted its inaugural

Petroleum Industry Leadership Dialogue at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja,

bringing together public and private sector leaders to accelerate

Nigeria’s production growth.

Heirs Holdings’ subsidiary, Heirs Energies, convened the forum,

moderated by CEO of Heirs Energies, Osayande Igiehon, and which

featured distinguished speakers including the Minister of State for

Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; Chief

Commission Executive, NUPRC, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe; Chairman,

OPEC Board of Governors and CEO, First E&P, Adewale Adeyemo-Bero;

Executive Vice-President Upstream, NNPC Limited, Udobong Ntia and

CEO of Seplat Energy Plc, Roger Brown.

With a new administration and ambitious targets for production critical

for Nigeria’s economic growth, the Dialogue provided a timely venue

for private and public sectors to continue the successful interaction,

that has already seen Nigeria crude production grow by 25%, since May

2023. Speakers highlighted how a series of Presidential Executive Orders

had radically reshaped the operating environment and catalysed

industry growth. Indigenous oil and gas companies were now

responsible for more than 60% of Nigeria’s crude output and the

successful indigenisation programme was delivering a bold new

chapter in Nigeria’s natural resources history.

Tony Elumelu, Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings and Chairman

of Heirs Energies, in his opening remarks, paid tribute to the catalytic role

that current government had played in reinvigorating the sector. Mr

Elumelu also set out Heirs Holdings’ vision of transforming Africa’s energy

landscape, through indigenous leadership and sustainable

development. Heirs Energies, in just four years, had rapidly grown its

production from 21,000 to over 50,000 barrels per day of hydrocarbon

Mr Elumelu also welcomed both public and private sector guests,

emphasising the strong spirit of collaboration that underscored the

successful indigenisation:

“Production growth, ambitious and sustained, is our shared national

mission. I am honoured that Heirs Energies is bringing together

distinguished peers from the industry and our partners in government.

As an investor not just in resources, but in Nigeria’s power production

and distribution sectors, all of us, need to come together to ensure

Nigerians get the benefits of our resources. As we build Africa’s largest

integrated energy business, innovation and collaboration are central to

our execution”.

The dialogue affirmed Nigeria’s commitment to increasing production,

while maintaining environmental responsibility and leveraging gas as a

transition fuel.

Speaking at the forum, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil),

Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, applauded Heirs Energies for hosting this

inaugural event, “Let me express our gratitude to Heirs Energies for

providing this platform for meaningful industry engagement.” The

Minister announced Nigeria’s oil production had reached 1.8 million

barrels per day in January 2025 and set an ambitious target of 2.5 million

barrels per day for 2025. He also reaffirmed the administration’s “drill or

drop” policy to accelerate production growth.

The Petroleum Industry Leadership Dialogue, which will become an

annual event, brought together key stakeholders in the oil and gas

industry, including MD of The Shell Petroleum Development Company

of Nigeria Limited, Osagie Okunbor; Managing Director of Aradel

Holdings, Adegbite Falade and industry veteran and founder of

Platform Petroleum & Managing Director A.A Holdings, Austin Avuru,

among others.

NUPRC Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, empahsised the

dialogues significance in advancing the sectors objectives, “I thank Heirs

Energies for this beautiful initiative of putting together the Petroleum

Industry Leadership Dialogue as a commitment to achieving our

national objective in the upstream sector.” He highlighted the surge in

active drilling rigs to 38, with projections to reach 50 by March 2025.

OPEC Board of Governors Chairman for Nigeria and CEO, First E&P,

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, commended the forum’s timing, noting “It’s

apt. It’s early in the year and it’s about how we grow production. That’s

why you see all of us participating.” He shared how indigenous operators

have successfully increased production, citing his company’s

achievement of 57,000 barrels per day from previously untapped fields.

Heirs Energies CEO, Osa Igiehon, reinforced this perspective,

showcasing Heirs Energies’ impact in Nigeria’s onshore sector. “Our

success at Heirs Energies demonstrates what’s possible in Nigeria’s

onshore sector, through our Brownfield Excellence Strategy, robust

security measures, and genuine community partnership,” he said. “By

tripling our producing wells to over 100, we’ve shown how indigenous

operators can efficiently unlock value while ensuring sustainable

development of host communities.”

The Petroleum Industry Leadership Dialogue also exemplified Heirs

Energies’ commitment to Mr Elumelu’s Africapitalism, the private sector’s

transformative role in driving Africa’s economic and social development

through strategic, long-term investments hinged on partnership and

collaboration.

Heirs Energies Limited is Africa’s leading indigenous-owned integrated

energy company, committed to meeting Africa’s unique energy needs

while aligning with global sustainability goals. With a strong focus on

innovation, environmental responsibility, and community development,

Heirs Energies leads in the evolving energy landscape and contributes

to a more prosperous Africa. Heirs Energies is a key implementor of Heirs

Holdings integrated energy strategy, Africa’s largest integrated energy

business, whose objective is to ensure Africans benefit directly from their contents resource