Julius Ejikonye, Gas Legal Focal Point, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo)
Julius Ejikonye is the Gas Legal Focal Point for Shell Companies in Nigeria and a leading expert in international energy transactions, with decades of experience advising on complex international energy transactions across the upstream, midstream, and downstream gas value chain. He is widely recognised for his expertise in structuring and negotiating high value transactions, and for providing strategic legal leadership on major domestic and cross border gas projects. He brings deep expertise in LNG sales and purchase agreements, gas supply and transportation arrangements, project financing, and complex cross border negotiations, as well as advising on new business development, regulatory compliance and governance issues, investment protection, and host government frameworks.
Julius has served as Shell’s lead counsel on several landmark energy projects, including the multi billion dollar NLNG Train 7 Project, the Assa North/Ohaji South domestic gas development, and major gas infrastructure and financing transactions in West Africa. He also represents Shell on the legal advisory committees of major energy entities such as Nigeria LNG and the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company, contributing to policy and commercial strategy at the highest levels.
In addition to his transactional work, Julius has extensive experience managing complex, high profile litigation, arbitration, and mediation across multiple jurisdictions, including Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands. He was Shell’s pioneer Managing Counsel for Global Litigation in Sub Saharan Africa, leading the management of strategically significant disputes and stakeholder engagements at the highest corporate levels.
Julius was one of only two Nigerians invited to the maiden edition of the Qatar Law Forum in 2009, where he was formally recognised as a Global Leader in Law. A former officer of the Arbitration Committee of the IBA and a member of the CIArb (UK), Julius is a frequent speaker at international conferences and is known for his strategic insight, stakeholder management, and leadership excellence.
Abhay Goel, Project Head - Gas Hub, FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (Nigeria)
Abhay Goel has just over 30 years experience in the Oil & Gas and LNG space across Asia, Europe and Africa / Nigeria. He started his career in Ernst & Young as a management consultant assisting Oil Majors develop their Asian strategies. He then moved to ABN AMRO Investment Bank where he developed and financed some of the pioneer LNG and Power projects across India and China. This has included development of the first LNG import projects in India (Petronet LNG and Hazira LNG) where he led the development of the first LNG based GSAs and the indigenous pricing of LNG based gas. From there he moved to Royal Dutch Shell where he spent over 20 years in M&A, Strategy & Projects across Nigeria, Central Asia, South & East Asia and Middle East developing some of the largest Oil & Gas projects in the world. His last roles in Shell including heading Upstream Strategy and Planning for Shell and leading Digital transformation for Procurement.
Abhay has been associated with Nigeria for 20 years and has been involved in a wide range of Upstream and LNG projects including NLNG, OKLNG, Bonga and most of Shell’s upstream and deepwater portfolio. For the past 4 years he has been leading Gas & LNG Commercial activities at FIRST E&P. He recently negotiated the GSA with NLNG which will be the first gas supply to NLNG from a greenfield offshore field.
Ifeoma Okeke, Commercial Manager, NNPC Limited
Ifeoma Okeke is a transformational leader with over 20+ years of experience in the oil and gas industry spanning commercial negotiations, strategic planning, supply chain and procurement, business services, and executive advisory functions. She played a key role in several gas monetization negotiations for both domestic and export markets, notably the Gas Sales and Purchase Agreements (GSPAs) supporting gas supply to the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Train 1–6 extension and Train 7 Project. The successful execution of this agreement contributed significantly to the attainment of Final Investment Decision (FID) for the NLNG Train 7 Project.
Ifeoma is passionate about sustainable energy development and fostering an inclusive work environment. She currently serves as Business Advisor to the Executive Vice President, Upstream NNPC Limited, where she provides strategic and commercial advisory support on key upstream operations and initiatives.
Uju Othniel, Senior Legal - Governance & Commercial Leadership Roles, Seplat Energy Plc
Obianuju Othniel is a seasoned Corporate & Commercial lawyer and trusted leadership advisor, with a multi-jurisdictional license to practice law in Nigeria | Texas (U.S.A) | England & Wales.
She began her legal career in Houston, Texas before transitioning to Nigeria in 2011. For over a decade, she has held progressive Corporate & Operational leadership roles at Seplat Energy PLC, a leading indigenous energy producer dual listed on the Nigerian Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.
Uju has served as the Company Secretary & Legal Adviser across several Gas and Drilling subsidiaries within the Seplat Group, including as pioneer Company Secretary & Legal Adviser for the NNPC / SEPLAT Million-Dollar ANOH Gas Processing Company project – and the appointed Company Secretary of Seplat Energy Producing Nigeria Unlimited (SEPNU), formerly Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited.
With an expanded mandate, Uju now serves as Senior Manager, Legal - Corporate Commercial & New Energy, overseeing energy, corporate and strategic investments across the Seplat Group. Her work spans gas monetization frameworks, project development, financing arrangements and joint venture deals.
Uju is a Chartered Secretary, Chartered Arbitrator, and a member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN), including its Committee on Model Gas Contracts.
Moderator: Okechukwu Okoro, Partner, G. Elias & Co.
Okechukwu is the Deputy Managing Partner and head of energy practice at G Elias, a leading business law firm in Nigeria. Okechukwu's practice focuses on energy (electric power, oil and gas, and renewables), project finance, labour, employment and industrial relations, immigration and dispute resolution. He has over a decade experience advising public and private sector clients on several large, novel, significant and complex transactions in the energy sector, both within and outside Nigeria.
Among others, Okechukwu has advised on several oil and gas financings involving crude volumes of the NNPC and NNPC JVs with a combined value exceeding US$15bn. He recently co-led the Nigerian legal team that advised a “super major” on a multibillion-dollar divestment of its Nigeria upstream assets. Okechukwu is recognised and ranked as a leading lawyer in Nigeria by reputable international directory of lawyers including the IFLR, Legal 500 and Chambers Global.
Okechukwu also heads the energy practice group of Multilaw, a leading global alliance of independent law firms with offices in over 100 countries. He is a member of the Africa Regional Committee of the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN).