NNLG replaces Babs Omotowa with Tony Attah as MD

THE Board of Directors of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has approved Tony Attah as successor to Babs Omotowa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, who after nearly five years at the helms of affairs of NLNG will be returning to Shell International in The Hague, ‎Netherlands.

Omotowa leaves NLNG in a stronger position and well positioned for the next chapter of the company’s growth. He will take great pride and satisfaction in his numerous achievements including consolidating the company’s position as a reliable supplier of LNG and major player in the global LNG market, restarting the Train-7 expansion program and with NLNG becoming ranked as the number one home-grown company in Nigeria.

In a statement by the General Manager, External Relations, NLNG, Dr Kudo Eresia-Eke, “Omotowa brought credibility into the relationship with government at a very crucial time in the company’s history, and his principled stand on payment of taxes yielded the now famous government bailout funds.

“During his tenure at Nigeria LNG Limited, the company earned in excess of $40billion in revenue and returned over $22billion to Nigeria in dividend, taxes, feedgas purchases, etc. The company under his watch became the highest corporate tax paying organisation in Sub-Sahara Africa, and a major contributor to the Nigerian economy.

“The company under his leadership secured $1.6 billion financing for the construction and delivery of six very modern Dual Fuel Diesel Electric (DFDE) vessels, setting a new ground breaking standard for Nigerian Content; with the training of 600 Nigerians in ship construction and repairs, ensuring Nigerian companies, for the first time, export $10 million worth of goods and services to Korea for the ship building, and facilitating a dry dock project by a Nigerian consortium.

“From expanding and deepening domestic LPG market to building ultra-modern engineering laboratories across the country, launching of $1 billion NLNG Vendors Financing Scheme, providing Bonny Kingdom with a 25 year master plan and N3 billion yearly contributions for development, etc, Omotowa initiated several programmes that have garnered attention as both national and international models. This is in addition to his securing N60 billion support of the Board to part fund the Bonny-Bodo Road linking Bonny Island to the mainland as part of the company’s CSR initiative.”

Omotowa, who joined NLNG with a well-deserved reputation as a turnaround expert from his previous work in Europe, focused on improving the company’s operations through cost leadership management, assets rejuvenation, organisation culture alignment, change management, commercial creativity, innovative supply chain and procurement management and human capital development. These programmes made NLNG not only more profitable but a strong brand with great momentum that can sustain its competitive advantages for years to come.