Some victories arrive without drums. One morning, you wake up and a new oil field begins to hum 30 kilometres off the coast. The country barely notices at first. Then the numbers surface, and the magnitude becomes hard to ignore. This is the current state of things for Adebowale Olujimi, in brief.
Emadeb Petroleum Exploration and Production, led by Olujimi, has achieved first oil at the Ibom Field in license PPL 236. The field was discovered in 1979 but remained untouched for decades. Emadeb acquired it in the 2020 Marginal Field Bid Round and has since invested more than one hundred million dollars.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission approved a phased development plan in November 2024. Commercial production has now begun. Olujimi says it is a product of local expertise, collaboration and persistence. The company plans two more wells in a second phase that could triple output by the last quarter of 2026.
Behind the announcement lies a barely whispered shift in ownership. Indigenous operators are moving deeper into upstream territory once ruled by international giants. The Ibom breakthrough signals both technical maturity and a bet on national energy security. A risk like this means something: it shows confidence in staying power.
Olujimi credits operational discipline, community engagement and environmental care. And what is his message if not that Emadeb wants to grow without losing public trust? Oil scandals have stained the sector for years, yet here the emphasis is on governance and measurable work.
Emadeb began in 2007 and was fully operational the following year. It first focused on downstream services such as petroleum distribution and retail sales. Over time, it expanded into exploration, LNG and lubricants. The shift into upstream operations required patience and regulatory navigation. Now the gamble has materialised into barrels.
Success rarely announces itself with fireworks. Sometimes it appears as a wellhead in the Gulf of Guinea, turning quietly while the country waits to see who was paying attention. And while Nigerians were waiting, Olujimi was building up the necessary momentum to strike gold. And now, he has.
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