The Founder and Chairman/CEO of Oilserv Group, Engr. Emeka Okwuosa, on January 27, 2023, won “the 2022 Vanguard Energy Icon of the Year Award” in Lagos.
Okwuosa is a seasoned engineer, administrator, entrepreneur and a visionary with over 40 years of post-graduation experience in engineering and management. His areas of expertise include: maintenance and operations, teaching, wireline logging and interpretation, seismic acquisition, processing and interpretation, pipeline and facilities engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), project management, drilling and drilling services.
Some of these activities span Europe, North Africa, West Africa, Gulf of Guinea/Central Africa and South East Asia.
His companies includes Oilserv Limited, Frazimex Engineering Limited, Frazoil Exploration and Production (E&P) Limited, Frazpower Limited, Ekcel Farms Limited EnviFraz Limited and Crown Energy Resources Limited. These companies have executed multiple complex multi-billion US dollar pipeline and facilities projects in the oil and gas sector of the economy.
One of the big ticket projects executed by his company is the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben gas pipeline project, which is popularly known as OB3. Oilserv Limited is currently handling the first phase of the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline. The AKK gas pipeline is part of the Trans-Nigeria Gas Pipeline (TNGP) project, which would deliver gas to the northern states, Morocco, and Europe.
Okwuosa is also the founder of Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation, which has recorded several contributions in education, road, erosion control, provision of portable water, electricity infrastructure, among others. The foundation also completed the set-up of a multi-billion Naira modern specialist hospital in Oraifite, Anambra State (Dame Nneka Okwuosa Medical Centre) which opened for operations in May 2022. The hospital conducted a medical fair where 25 open heart surgeries were performed including other pediatric cardiology procedures all for free. The Foundation also built a Four (4) floor Administration/Classroom block at the Dame Irene Nneka Okwuosa Memorial convent, Oraifite in honor of his late mum.
In recognition of his contributions to Nigeria’s development, Okwuosa received Honorary Doctorate Degree in Engineering (D.Eng) by Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT) and Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration by University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in 2016.
Other awards he has received in the course of practice of engineering include: Commander if the Order of the Niger award in 2022, National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM) in 2017; Award of Excellence by the Physics Department of the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 2006; OTC/PETAN (Offshore Technology Conference/ Petroleum Technology Association) Awards of Excellence in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 (Houston Texas, USA); US Africa International Oil & Gas Leadership Award, Best of Africa 2013; 2014 Oil and Gas Industry achievement Award (PETAN); 2014 Distinguished Achievement Award (PETAN); Award of Excellence by the Nanotechnology Research Group of the Physics Department and Astronomy, University of Nigeria Nsukka in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021.
Also included are: 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award by Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN); Nigeria Advancement Award for Creativity and Enterprise 2016; International Socrates Award (UK) 2016; Award of Excellence by Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) 2016; National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM) by His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria 2017; Investor of the Year Award by SUN Newspaper 2017; Best Partner Award by the Ministry of Mines and Water/SEMICA, Republic of Benin 2018; Distinguished Anambra State Commander Medal 2022; and Commander of the Order of the Niger Award by His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria 2022.
He is a key member of the following professional bodies: Council for the Regulation of Engineering (COREN); Fellow Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE); Society of Professional Well Log Analysts (SPWLA); Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN); Pipeline Professional Association of Nigeria (PLAN); Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE); Nigerian Gas Association (NGA); and Fellow Institute of Directors (FIoD).
Okwuosa is an advocate of domestic utilisation of gas. He believes that Nigeria can do so much with gas in terms of boosting its economic growth.
“Nigeria needs gas to develop. And when we talk of energy transition, we have to transit from oil-based energy supply, which is the crude oil itself and the constituents that come out of refining (whether it is HPFO for or LPFO, diesel, AGO, petrol, kerosene) to gas-based supply. Gas is cleaner, gas is more available in Nigeria. It is not just available, it will last a long time of use in Nigeria. So if we move to gas, it would be easier for us to transit into renewables. I am not saying we shouldn’t go into renewables, we should. But we should pay stronger attention to gas distribution because that is one thing that can change the face of Nigeria’s energy delivery system,” he said at an energy event in 2022.
Therefore, it is not out of place to say that no one could have deserved the award better than Engr. Okwuosa.
