First Hydrocarbon Nigeria Limited has appointed Constantine ‘Labi’ Ogunbiyi as Chief Executive of the Company. FHN was established in 2009 by Afren, the UK listed operator and some Nigerian partners, with the objective of increasing indigenous involvement in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry by acquiring and developing substantial oil and gas assets in Nigeria from the joint ventures between the Nigerian government and international operating companies. The Company has announced its initial acquisition, subject to regulatory and government approval, of the Oil Mining Lease(OML) 26 from the Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) Joint Venture in October 2010.
Mr Ogunbiyi was appointed following a request from the company’s Board of Directors to Afren Plc that he be released to focus on the growth and development of FHN, as the Company seeks to establish itself as a leading indigenous player in the upstream oil and gas sector in Nigeria.
Constantine Ogunbiyi became an Executive Director of Afren on 3rd January 2008 and was part of the management team that established the Company in late 2004. In his role as Executive Director he was responsible for business development, growth and strategy at the Company and was instrumental in the establishment of FHN, its capital raising efforts and its subsequent acquisition of an interest in OML 26 In Nigeria.
