Executive Management

Engr. Yusuf Usman

Chairman

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering
Started his career as a Facilities / Project Engineer with SPDC
A recipient of GMD’s Merit Award in 2004 / 2005 and 2009
A COREN-registered engineer and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers
A member of the Boards of the Nigerian Gas Company, Nigerian Gas Marketing Company, NNPC Gas & Power Investment Company, amongst others
Industry Experience > 30
Industry Knowledge Leadership: Oil & Gas

Ben Okoye

Executive Vice-Chairman/MD

Chief Ben I. Okoye (FNIPR) is a graduate of Business Administration, and an astute, result oriented and dynamic business guru. He has cut a niche for himself in corporate excellence both nationally and internationally which is seen from his various corporate interests spanning across the globe. He has over 30 years wealth of experience in oil and gas upstream and downstream, hospitality, estate development, television, and radiocommunication engineering and entrepreneurship. He is a member of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations and Professionals. In 2009, he became a recipient of an honorary Award qualified to be an (FNIPR) and also Award on Professionalism and Excellence. Ben is well known for his noble gestures, and this has earned him the Ziks Award from Nnamdi Azikiwe University as the best Philanthropist from the Southeast Zone.

As an entrepreneur and a man with interest for his profession, he has shown his ability to run Organizations such as DSV Pipetronix Limited, Northgate Estate and Property Development Company Limited, Blue Waters Development Company Limited and Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited etc. and he also has broad corporate responsibilities, spanning from policy formulation, direction and control of the goals and objectives of the various companies he owns and sits on its board.

Bello Rabiu

Deputy Managing Director

Holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Mathematical Statistics
Served in different leadership capacities across different business units, including as an Electrical Engineer, PE Maintenance, EPCL, Chief Project Engineer, G&P Directorate, and many others
Initiated the concept of developing gas-based industries along the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano pipeline route
Industry Experience > 26
Industry Knowledge Leadership: Exploration and Production & Commercial Operations

Maurice Phido

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Maurice Phido has had an outstanding track record as a banker and financial services professional, achieving numerous awards for excellence and commendations from a very early stage in his career. Commencing as an audit trainee in the global, big three accounting firm, Arthur Andersen & Co (now KPMG Professional Services), Maurice qualified as a chartered accountant in 1991 before embarking on a distinguished banking career that spanned over 26 years. His career saw him occupying executive positions in financial institutions in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom. With extensive experience in Treasury management, trade, Corporate and project finance, Maurice handled several high-profile, award-winning transactions in the Energy (Oil & Gas and Power), telecommunications, Aviation and Maritime sectors in the course of his banking career.

Keenly interested in philanthropic activities, Maurice serves on the Board of Trustees of two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), both involved in promoting the education and welfare of children in Nigeria. A graduate of Political Science from the University of Lagos, Maurice is also an alumnus of the prestigious Bain Academy, South Africa and Lagos Business School, Lagos, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Sanjay Patel

Project Development Director

Mr. Patel is the Project Development Director at BFPCL. He is is resident in London and liaises with European investors and international technical and financial teams. He previously worked for Intercontinental Trade DMCC from 1999 where he headed the Oil & Gas and Fertilizer departments, focusing on African trade, in particular, Nigeria.

He has a long history in dealing with Nigerian entities and is familiar with all aspects of fertilizer & petrochemical trading in Nigeria. Mr. Patel understands the Nigerian market, its constraints, and opportunities. His financial background enables him to understand the challenges of large-scale project finance, particularly in developing nations. He has gained valuable experience in examining both brownfield and greenfield projects on behalf of Boston Consulting Group and is able to apply his knowledge to new projects in Africa. Mr. Patel has a BA Honors degree in Economics and entered the graduate training program of Prudential PLC as an asset manager.

Jaspal Singh

Chief Technical Officer

Jaspal Singh has over 35 years of experience in downstream oil and gas-based Ammonia, Methanol & Urea industry. He is an engineer by education and has extensive international experience as Head Technical at National Fertilizers Ltd, India where he implemented two major 2x1500TPD Topsoe Ammonia projects within budget & schedule and zero equipment failure. He was deputed to RCF Thal for commissioning of 2X1500 TPD Topsoe Ammonia plants. Head Fertilizer – Notore Chemical Industries Plc, Nigeria which is a 1000TPD Kellogg Ammonia & 1500TPD Stamicarbon Urea with 2×600 TPD NPK fertilizer complex with a jetty. He was Consultant with IFC in Uzbekistan in the project to reducing energy and water consumption of three fertilizer complexes. He worked as Vice President-Operations, at Kanpur Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd, India handling three ICI design ammonia and three Toyo Urea plants. He is now the Chief Technical Officer with Brass Fertilizer & Chemicals Ltd, Nigeria is a grassroot project to produce 2×5000 TPD Methanol plants designed by Lurgi technology.

Jaspal has a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Harcourt Butler Technical University, India and a PGDM in Project Management from Punjabi University Patiala, India. He has attended various international seminars organised by AIChE, FAI, Nitrogen and travelled widely. As project expert he has implemented three greenfield/brownfield Ammonia/Urea projects and Methanol project in India. Jaspal has extensive experience of energy conservation & energy revamps and audits and managing health, safety and environment. He has carried out technical and safety audits and long-term asset management planning and is an expert in process safety management for major operating chemical fertilizer companies. He is hands on budget & planning, team building & recruitment. He occasionally plays tennis and likes to solve problems.

Olufemi Adesanya

Director

A graduate of Electrical Engineering in 1972, he spent 35 years with Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC). His career with Shell covered Information Technology, Procurement, Business Relations, and Human Resources Management.

He held several senior positions including Procurement Project Manager and Information Technology Manager in SPDC Eastern Operations, HR Manager SPDC Western Operations, General Manager Business Relations SPDC Corporate Office Lagos. He was appointed HR Director of SPDC in 2000 and later Vice President Human Resources Shell EP Africa Region. He retired from Shell in 2007. He currently serves on the Boards of several Nigerian Oil Gas Companies and a Real Estate Management Company.

Raphael Afolabi

GM Upstream/Midstream Integration

Raphael is an accomplished Professional with domestic and international experience in Oil and Gas development. An ingenious Leader of community with proven record of success in safe Opportunity Identification, Maturation, Efficient Execution and Operations in both Deepwater and onshore Assets. He has over 30 years’ work experience with 25 years in the Oil and Gas industry with Shell.

His career with Shell covered Subsurface Evaluation, Field Development Execution, Green Field Maturation and Asset Management. He held senior positions and was the pioneer Lead for Shell Deepwater Nigeria Field Development and Execution Team. He was the Venture Manager/Opportunity Development Lead for a new Deepwater Project and Asset Subsurface Manager & Petroleum Engineering Integrator for Shell Nigeria. He voluntarily retired from Shell in September 2021.

He holds Bachelor of Science degree (B.Sc.) in Geology from the Ahmadu Bello University and Master of Science Degree (M.Sc.) in Petroleum Geology from University of Port Harcourt. A very active member of The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationist (NAPE), Society of Petroleum Engineer (SPE) Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).

Nnenna Anozia

Legal Counsel

Nnenna is a versed attorney whose experience spans over 11 years advising clients in diverse local and cross border transactions in various sectors including oil and gas, taxation, commercial banking, property, labour disputes, information technology and entertainment both in the United States of America and Nigeria. She has also gathered vast experience in corporate advisory work detailing compliance, capital markets and commercial matters in general.

She has delved deeply into oil and gas transactions, merger and acquisitions, and bankruptcy while evaluating the tax implications of structures and the impact of exit strategies. She has analysed and evaluated investments and negotiated institutional commitments for a range of private equity firms and venture capital portfolios for bulge bracket global investment banks. She was part of the team that conducted various seminars on the workability of the Petroleum Industry Act in Nigeria.

Nnenna holds an LL.B from the University of Benin, B.L from the Nigerian Law School and an LL.M from the University of Pittsburgh, USA. She is a recipient of the Heinz Fellow Scholarship Award from the Global Studies Centre in the University of Pittsburgh. She remains a mentor within formal and informal frameworks to undergraduates at the University of Pittsburgh as well as high school students both home and abroad. She is a Member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Member Charted Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and a Member American Bar Association (Section of Taxation). She plays tennis actively, plays the piano, loves to draw, and paint.

Doyin Majekodunmi

Employee Services Manager

Doyin has a legal degree and master’s degree in human resources. Prior to joining Brass Fertilizer Company Ltd, she worked at Financial Derivatives Company Ltd where she acquired work experience in various areas such as Legal and Compliance, Treasury and HR.

She joined Brass Fertilizer Company in 2013 and works as a Project Development Manager.

Jacob Lar

Statutory Permits Manager

Jacob is a Geography graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He also has a Master of Science degree in Environmental Control and Resource Planning.

He has worked in several capacities including as a Community Based Researcher for the World Bank. He currently serves as the Logistics Manager for BFPCL.