Seplat Energy Appoints Tony Elumelu as Non-executive Director

• Olivier Cleret De Langavant resigns

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Seplat Energy yesterday announced the appointment of Mr. Tony Elumelu as a non-executive director on its board, following the resignation of Mr. Olivier Cleret De Langavant, effective Thursday.

A statement from Seplat signed by the Director Legal/Company Secretary at the company,  Mrs. Edith Onwuchekwa, stated that the information followed the announcement regarding the sale of Etablissements Maurel et Prom SA’s 20.07 per cent shareholding in Seplat to a combination of Heirs Holdings Limited and Heirs Energies Limited.

Elumelu, it said, is a distinguished African investor and philanthropist, globally recognised as one of the most prominent voices on Africa’s transformation agenda, and is the Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, a diversified investment company with interests across strategic sectors of the African economy, including energy, power, banking, insurance, technology, real estate, hospitality, and healthcare.

According to the release, Elumelu also serves as Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group, Heirs Energies as well as Transcorp Group, whose subsidiaries include Transcorp Power, and Transcorp Hotels Plc, Nigeria’s foremost hospitality brand.

“In 2010, he established The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy dedicated to empowering African entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries. His global influence has been widely acknowledged, including recognition as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World (2020) and the conferment of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (2022).

“He also serves on several global boards, including UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Global Leadership Council and the International Monetary Fund’s Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth.

“We are confident that Mr. Elumelu’s extensive experience and visionary leadership will significantly advance Seplat Energy’s strategic objectives and reinforce the Company’s commitment to sustainable growth and long-term success,” the statement added.

The energy company also expressed its gratitude to Langavant for his ‘outstanding’ service and welcomed Elumelu to the board.

Chairman of Seplat Energy, Mr. Udo Udoma, in his comments, reaffirmed that the company was looking forward to leveraging Elumelu’s wealth of experience and leadership as Seplat continues to pursue sustainable growth and value creation for all stakeholders.

“On behalf of the board and management, I wish to express our profound appreciation to Mr. Langavant for his outstanding contribution to Seplat Energy over the past six years. His expertise and commitment have been instrumental in driving our strategic initiatives.

“We warmly welcome Mr. Elumelu to the board and look forward to leveraging his wealth of experience and leadership as we continue to pursue sustainable growth and value creation for all stakeholders,” the statement added.

Seplat also announced the resignation of Langavant as a non-executive director effective  January 22, 2026.

“Mr. Langavant, who joined the Board on 28 January 2020 as a nominee of M&P, has rendered exceptional service throughout his tenure, providing strategic technical counsel and invaluable insights that have materially supported the company’s progress,” Seplat explained.

Elumelu recently completed the purchase of a 20.07 per cent equity stake in Seplat Energy Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading independent oil and gas companies.