Petralon Energy appoints Ekeigwe as COO to drive production growth

Petralon Energy, an indigenous oil exploration and production company, has appointed Augustine Ekeigwe as its chief operating officer (COO), strengthening its executive team as it ramps up production from its Dawes Island Field and pursues new asset acquisitions.

In a statement seen by BusinessDay, the company disclosed that earlier this year, it increased production at Dawes Island to approximately 4,800 barrels of oil per day (bopd) following the startup of the DI-3 well, its second producing well at the asset. More than 350,000 bbl of oil has been exported from the field through the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal, located roughly 30 km away.

These milestones reflect a company that has transitioned from development to sustained production, a shift that demands deep, experienced operational leadership at the highest level.

Against this background, Petralon Energy described Augustine’s appointment as both timely and strategic.

In his role as Chief Operating Officer, he will carry responsibility for operational execution across the company’s asset portfolio, with a direct focus on safe, efficient, and disciplined delivery as production continues to scale.

Augustine brings over 25 years of experience across the oil and gas industry in Europe and West Africa. His areas of expertise include production operations, field development, asset integrity, well and reservoir surveillance, integrated asset modelling, drilling and completion operations, production optimisation, and surface facilities management.

He has held senior technical and operational leadership roles at several prominent energy organisations, including Oriental Energy Resources, Seplat Petroleum Development Company, Shell Petroleum Development Company, and Sakhalin Energy. Across these roles, he led multidisciplinary teams on producing assets through complex operational challenges and significant growth phases, building a track record of disciplined execution at scale.

“As Petralon accelerates its growth journey, this appointment further reflects the company’s commitment to experienced leadership and capacity building in pursuit of its 2030 goal of surpassing 15,000 bopd in production,” it said.