To some, saying we are what and where we are by the grace of God sounds like a cliché, but it is true.How do you explain that Kayode Thomas (KT), a Business Analyst and I, an IT Project Manager, neither of whom had lived, nor worked in Nigeria (post-university education) nor in the industry, could share a dream about setting up and building an upstream Oil & Gas service company that is still around in 20years? God has truly been gracious.
God ordered our steps in the first instance to join forces to form a troika. The significance of John Akindele Rockson (JAR), joining KT and I– being three equally different personalities pulling in the same direction to achieve a common vision- cannot be overemphasized. This gave us the stability to grow trust within the team, an attribute that served us very well. It also gave us a richer network of friends and family to help us in those formative years. I give the glory to God.
Each of the three founding directors got their dream job. The first three offices we had in London (Hammersmith), Lagos and Port Harcourt were all rent-free favours from well-meaning people who just wanted to help us get off the ground. We had a mentor in London who was very familiar with the Nigerian Oil & Gas industry and was generous with his time, knowledge, and experience. We met with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) representatives who chose to be very helpful and kind.
While we were trying to determine what product lines to focus on, Glassfibre Reinforced Epoxy (GRE) piping solutions selected us. And just as we were debating dropping it for something less niche, we ran into an advert in the newspaper that indicated it may be a good product line to hold. As if these were not enough, a prospective client presents us with an opportunity to partner with them on the first Nigerianbuilt FPSO –Shell’s Bonga. This first major assignment was to go and do some remedial work with a team of two people for one month. Only God can explain how that turned into an eighteen-month project with a 24-man team.
Just the same way, a few years later, only God can explain how a company that had turned down our request for collaboration could call back two months later to offer us the opportunity to partner with them on a multi-million-dollar Line pipe project for Addax on OML 123.
In the journey from adolescence to adulthood, Bell Oil & Gas enjoyed favor with many people who wanted to see us succeed. The legal firm Aina Blankson & Co, who registered us with CAC, offered us their office as our first business address in Lagos at no charge. Beyond that, they did not charge us for legal advice and company secretarial services for so many years because their principal interest was to see us grow.
God also brought in many exceptional individuals who started their Oil & Gas careers with us, contributed to our growth, and have now gone on to become C-suite executives within the industry.
What about the mercy of God? How else can we explain that we have not had any Lost-Time-Injury (LTI) in just under three million man-hours of work across various terrains in twenty years? We have sent people into confined spaces and tanks, and we have worked at eyewatering heights. We have worked with hazardous chemicals and with radioactive chemicals in Well Testing campaigns. And we are recognized as the experts of working with Glassfibre and other composite material across west Africa that generates dangerous fiber-dust. We have had campaigns that required our team to work through the night and on the odd occasion, we have had eighteen-and twenty-four-hour assignments at critical points in projects on behalf of our clients. We have had people traveling across the Niger Delta region at all hours of days and nights, and to the glory of God, we have not had any serious incidents. I attribute these to the mercy of God beyond all else.
But we have not shied away from our responsibilities either. The Lord led us to pursue achieving ISO safety and quality standards which we achieved by 2010. He blessed us with indigenous staff and consultants alike who pulled out all the stops to ensure that this young company that provides services to the most safety-conscious clients in the country would be able to not only achieve the ISO safety standards but will be able to implement a world-class Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that will enable us serve
our customers better.
About ten years ago, we conceived the idea that Bell Oil & Gas should one day be a manufacturing company. This began the journey of traveling across the globe to find suitable partners and has led to the capital raise that has made “Project Evolution” possible. Project Evolution is our recently completed facility situated at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos state that has given us new capabilities in OCTG threading as well as Valve Assembly and Repair. In addition, it has also allowed us to relocate our Glassfibre Spooling Workshop to this bigger facility. Through this part of our journey, I have also seen the hand of God rest upon, and lead us through.
The company has been blessed with so many staff who have worked as if they own the business. We have seen so many awake to their true potential. I have seen young adults become responsible married men and women who now have families. At each stage of our growth, the Lord brought us the kind of people we needed for that particular phase.
When I look at the journey over the last 20 years, all I see is the goodness of God. He kept us alive, protected us, and provided for us through each of the wilderness seasons. Most importantly, He has given us a vision much bigger than ourselves that the entire Bell Oil & Gas family is witnessing.’
Thank you, Lord, for your grace and mercy.
Ayo Aderibigbe
Deputy Managing Director
12 Saka Jojo, Off Idejo Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Tel +234(0) 1 270 0404, +234(0) 1 270 0403
6 Fiddil Avenue Off Ordinance Junction Trans-Amadi, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Tel +234 (0) 8 465 2176
Plot H-04-003(B), Abuja Road (E6), South Quadrant, Lekki Free Zone, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.
Operations Manager
Ebi Dike is a dynamic and results-oriented operations and project manager. With a successful track record and specialization in pipeline and piping operations and projects spanning over 15 years, Ebi has consistently delivered exceptional results in complex and challenging project environments.
Ebi’s strong leadership abilities have allowed him to effectively coordinate cross-functional teams, fostering collaboration, and ensuring seamless communication throughout project lifecycles. Since his involvement in the Bonga FPSO project in 2004, Ebi has lead project teams on other FPSOs like Erha, Agbami, Akpo, Usan, and Egina. He has also led project teams on other offshore and land production facilities like Total’s Ikike Project, Chevron’s DSO – Meren GGCP & SONAM Projects, Interplant Corridor Escravos Pipeline Project, and Abiteye Sewage Treatment Plant Project.
Ebi’s technical expertise is complemented by his in-depth knowledge of industry regulations, safety protocols, and quality control standards. He consistently applies best practices and innovative solutions to optimize processes, enhance efficiency, and minimize risks. His ability to analyze complex situations and make data-driven decisions has proven invaluable in resolving challenges and delivering successful outcomes. As Operations Manager, Ebi is responsible for managing cross-functional field operations and delivering various complex projects across an array of clients.
Ebi has a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Geology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Information Technology, both from Federal University of Technology, Owerri. He holds certifications in relevant areas such as piping design, equipment maintenance, safety, quality, and project management methodologies. He has also completed several training programmes in engineering design, construction, management, and improvement in operational processes. Ebi also actively pursues continuous learning opportunities and stays updated with the latest industry advancements.
Beyond oil and gas services, Ebi has interests in Systems and Design thinking, Data analytics, Agile concepts and principles, Lean Six Sigma principles, and emerging technologies. He is also an avid reader of different genres. Ebi is keen on making contributions to positively impact his immediate environment and the society at large.
Finance Manager
Aigbe Abohi is a seasoned professional with almost 10 years cognate industry experience in areas of accounting, financial management, financial planning and reporting, budgeting, and operational finance.
Prior to joining Bell Oil and Gas, he was a General Ledger Manager at Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc where he was responsible for general accounting operations, financial reporting, suggesting, and implementing sound internal control procedures, designing standard operating procedure manuals, preparing annual audited financial statements, as well as leading and coordinating external audit exercises for various companies in the agro allied value chain. He had also functioned as a finance and accounts team lead in other organizations where he oversaw finance and management reporting, accounts payables and receivables, inventory, payroll as well as fixed assets management.
In his current role at Bell Oil and Gas, he is responsible for supervising the finance team, coordinating a variety of finance and accounts activities including general accounting, accounts payables, payroll and treasury management, financial reporting and budgeting amongst others.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Benin, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
His hobbies include studying, sports, music, movies and networking.
Chairman, Board of Directors
Dr. (Engr.) Chima has over 31 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He spent his first three years with Schlumberger where he started out in 1978. He joined The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in 1986. Chima was sent overseas on assignment as Senior Petrophysicist, Land Operations, in Nederlandse Aardolle Maatschaappij, a Shell/ Esso company in Assen, northern Netherlands. He returned to Nigeria in 1989 to become the Divisional Chief Petrophysicist. He was later appointed Chief Petroleum Engineer in the Western Division of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
Dr. Chima drilled the first horizontal well in Shell’s operations in Nigeria. From 1994 to 1999, he served as the Petroleum Economist for Europe and Africa at Shell International Headquarters in The Hague, Holland; Acting Petroleum Engineering Manager, Western Division; Human Resources Manager; and Deputy Development Director and Corporate Well Engineering Manager and Service Director at SPDC. In 2004, he became the Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), pioneering offshore and deep-water exploration and production operations in Nigeria and bringing on stream the Bonga field. Chima joined NLNG in 2008 as the first Nigerian Managing Director from The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), a position he held between 2008 and 2012. During the same period, he was the Executive VP of Bonny Gas Transport Limited.
As the Chairman Board of Directors in Bell Oil & Gas, he is responsible for leading the Board on strategic matters and guiding the company on its strategic direction. Dr. Chima holds a degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Doctorate Degree Honoris causa in Production Management from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Institute of Directors and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group. He is also the former president of the Nigerian Gas Association and a fellow of the Energy Institute of London. He also serves on the board of several notable companies.
Position: Assistant General Manager
Ejiro Erivona has over 20 years of international experience in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry. His expertise spans Business Operations Management , Business Development, Contracts and process management in the oil service industry as well as the Exploration and production segment of the Oil and Gas Business.
He has managed key business divisions for various multinationals like Falcon, General Electric and Baker Hughes, working in various countries in Africa and North America, leading multidisciplinary and multicultural teams to achieve stellar business outcomes. Most recently, he held the position of Senior Manager, Operations at Nigeria’s Major E&P Independent- Conoil Producing Nigeria.
Experienced in business startups, as well as new business generation, Ejiro has a track record of closing major deals in the IOCs, NOCs and marginal field operators in the sub-continent.
He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the university of wales and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Benin. He is also an alumnus of the Administrative College of India ( ASCI)
Ejiro has a “Black Belt” in people and change management and has pursued the same with great flair.
Chief Executive Officer
With a solid background in corporate strategy, business development, project management, business analysis and supply chain management, gained from key positions with various blue chip organisations, Kayode has many years international and domestic experience in driving businesses to achieve their strategic and corporate goals.
Prior to Bell Oil & Gas Ltd, he managed and delivered various strategic projects for multi-national corporations in Europe including business process re-engineering, organisation design, change management, ERP solutions, mergers & acquisitions, and post-merger business integration. He held strategic positions in different organisations including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (London office), British Telecommunications (UK), Johnson & Johnson (UK), Cable & Wireless (UK) and GlaxoSmithKline (UK) where he managed and developed supply chain processes, new product introduction models, sales and operations planning policies, product rationing strategies, customer services and performance management methodologies across Europe. His various achievements led to him being named the Glaxo Wellcome IIP Award winner in 1998.
A finalist at the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and a founding director of Bell Oil & Gas, Kayode is a seasoned entrepreneur with a successful track record of leadership in cross-functional teams. At Bell Oil & Gas Ltd where he has held the position of CEO since inception, Kayode is responsible for corporate strategy, business planning, major projects development, change management, corporate governance, strategic alliances, brand management and corporate social responsibility. He is also responsible for the overall direction, growth and expansion of the company.
A strong advocate of continuous learning, Kayode is an ardent reader of a range of books covering leadership, motivation, relationship building, crime, autobiographies, and Christian literature. He is also a presenter and speaker at international conferences with specific interests in Strategic Alliances, Nigerian Content, and Entrepreneurship.
Kayode is an avid animal lover, with interests in exotic breeds of dogs, parrots, horses and wildlife. He is also a staunch Formula 1 follower, a lover of cricket, rugby, snooker, polo and sailing.
A Harvard Business School and Warwick Business School alumnus, Kayode is a highly motivated and articulate professional who brings with him, deep business insights, strategic thinking, and extensive management and business development experience and expertise spanning many key business areas.
A Certified Management Consultant (CMC), Kayode serves on the board of a number of companies, including several start-ups, provides advisory services to many organisations, within and outside the oil industry and supports young aspiring entrepreneurs in translating ideas into business reality. Kayode is also the founder and chairman of Rifugio Communications, a leading mobile phone retail and enterprise solutions provider in Nigeria. He holds a B.SC (Hons) Degree in Physics, an MSc in Advanced Manufacturing Systems, an MBA and a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration with research interest in Strategic Alliances and Implications for Local Capacity Development in the Nigerian Oil & Gas industry.
Kayode is a member of the Institute of Directors, the Nigerian Institute of Management and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC-Nigeria).
Position:
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