Yemisi Izuora
Energy industry stakeholders have seen Oando Energy Resources Managing Director, Dr Ainojie Alex Irune’s appointment to the governing board of the World Energy Council’s Nigerian Member Committee as a well deserved opportunity.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the governing board was inaugurated in Abuja on August 7, with Abdulrazaq Isa, co-founder of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, appointed chairman of the committee.
Irune, 45, is also an Executive Director of Oando Plc. He joins eight other members drawn from the energy industry, academia, policy and the private sector, including Bala Wunti, former Chief HSE Officer at NNPC Limited, who serves as the committee’s chief executive.
Other members are Professor Wumi Iledare, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, Mrs Aisha Farida Katagum, Dr Emmanuel Okon, Dr Victor Ekpenyong and Dr Imamuddeen Talba.
Nigeria first joined the World Energy Council in April 1960, but its national participation later lapsed. The renewed committee is expected to provide a platform for Nigeria to contribute to international discussions on energy policy, security, access, investment and the transition to cleaner energy.
Irune’s appointment comes after more than a decade of involvement in Nigeria’s evolving indigenous energy industry, including major acquisitions and the expansion of Oando’s upstream operations.
Trained as a computer scientist, Irune holds a doctorate from the University of Nottingham and began his career in the United Kingdom, where he worked in technology and automotive research with companies including Nissan, Honda and Jaguar Land Rover.
He later joined Oando, where he held roles spanning corporate communications, strategy and upstream operations as the company expanded its position in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
In 2014, Oando completed its $1.5bn acquisition of ConocoPhillips’ Nigerian upstream business, a transaction that significantly expanded the company’s upstream portfolio. Irune was involved in the organisational transition following the acquisition and later served as Group Chief Strategy and Corporate Services Officer.
A decade later, Oando completed its $783m acquisition of Nigerian Agip Oil Company from Italian energy company Eni in 2024.
The transaction increased Oando’s participating interests in OMLs 60 to 63 from 20 per cent to 40 per cent and significantly expanded its upstream operations.
As Managing Director of Oando Energy Resources, Irune led the completion of the acquisition, which marked another major step in the expansion of indigenous ownership of Nigerian upstream assets.
His appointment to the World Energy Council committee comes as indigenous energy companies assume greater responsibility for assets previously operated by international oil companies, creating new demands around investment, technical capacity, operational efficiency and long-term asset management.
Irune has also been involved in discussions around Africa’s energy transition, advocating an approach that takes into account the continent’s energy access deficit and industrialisation needs.
He has highlighted the role of natural gas in supporting Africa’s development while calling for greater participation by African companies in the value generated from the continent’s natural resources.
The World Energy Council brings together national member committees from more than 100 countries and provides a platform for dialogue on the future of the global energy sector.
Irune’s two-year term on the Nigerian committee will place him alongside policymakers, academics and industry executives in discussions on Nigeria’s energy priorities and its contribution to global energy debates.