By Chika Abanobi
If gas could talk, it would have proudly said that it came from SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Plc. Dr. Ambrose Bryant Chukwueloka (ABC) Orjiako is the chairman of the company that manufactures and supplies three-quarters of the gas we use in Nigeria, especially to generate power.
This outstanding entrepreneur founded SEPLAT through the partnership of Shebah Petroleum Development Company Limited and Platform Petroleum Joint Ventures Limited. Blessed with more than 500 unified and highly motivated workforce, strong financial management and access to capital, his company is waxing strong even at a time revenue from the petroleum sector is dropping rapidly..
After obtaining a degree in Medicine in 1985 from the University of Calabar, Nigeria, Orjiakor later sub-specialized in orthopedic and trauma surgery and became a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons in 1996. In 2006, he completed the OPM programme of the Harvard Business School and thereafter established and managed various companies in the upstream, downstream, and service sectors of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.
Some of the companies that have received Orjiakor’s midas touch include Abbey court Trading Company Limited, Abbeycourt Energy Services Limited, Zebbra Energy Limited, and Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited. He also has business interests in construction, real estate development, pharmaceuticals, and shipping.
Over the years, Orjiakor has succeeded in steering SEPLAT from an upstart local oil and gas company to a global brand. No wonder, the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. With his great entrepreneurial performance, the cap of The Sun ENTREPRENEUR of the Year fits Orjiakor.