The appointment comes as the energy giant signals renewed confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and expands its investment plans in the country.
British energy giant Shell Plc has appointed Elohor Aiboni as its new Executive Vice President and Country Chair for Nigeria, following the departure of Marno de Jong after more than six years leading the company’s operations in the country.
In a statement posted on its official X account on Thursday, Shell said Mr de Jong would step down after overseeing a period of strong operational performance and major investment decisions in Nigeria.
“Shell appoints Elohor Aiboni Executive Vice President and Country Chair Nigeria, as Marno de Jong bows out after more than six years at the helm of Shell in Nigeria,” the company said.
According to Shell, Nigeria’s flagship Bonga deepwater asset recorded strong operational performance under Mr de Jong’s leadership, maintaining availability levels above target.
The company also credited him with advancing key investment decisions, including the HI offshore gas project and the Bonga North development.
Shell said Mrs Aiboni is the first Nigerian to assume the combined position of Executive Vice President and Country Chair Nigeria.
She brings more than 24 years of experience within the company, having worked across Nigeria’s offshore, shallow-water and onshore operations, as well as international assignments in Kazakhstan and Brunei.
Mrs Aiboni became Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) in 2021, becoming the first woman to occupy the position. During her tenure, the Bonga field achieved a major milestone with the production of its one-billionth barrel of oil in 2023.
She later moved to Brunei in 2024, where she has been responsible for overseeing asset performance, production and project delivery.
“The new appointment takes effect 1 August 2026,” Shell said.
Mrs Aiboni’s appointment comes about six months after Shell signalled plans to deepen its investments in Nigeria, citing improvements in policy consistency, political stability and government leadership.
During a visit to President Bola Tinubu in January, Shell’s Chief Executive Officer, Wael Sawan, said the company was increasingly optimistic about opportunities in Nigeria’s energy sector.
“We are very keen to invest in Nigeria. But I would say this has not always been the case,” Mr Sawan said at the time.
For more than three decades, Shell has been one of the dominant players in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, primarily through the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC).
While the company’s operations have generated substantial revenue for the Nigerian government, particularly in the Niger Delta, they have also been associated with environmental degradation, community grievances and prolonged legal disputes.
Shell has faced several lawsuits in courts in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands over oil pollution in the Niger Delta. In 2021, a Dutch court ordered the company to compensate Nigerian farmers for environmental damage linked to oil spills.
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation published last year found that several oil-producing communities, including those in Ogoniland, continue to grapple with widespread hydrocarbon pollution. Residents told reporters that recurring oil spills had contaminated farmlands and waterways, undermining farming and fishing livelihoods.
Another PREMIUM TIMES investigation published this week documented how persistent toxic gas leaks from an oil field in Bille, Rivers State, are threatening lives and livelihoods in surrounding communities.
The field was originally developed by Shell before being acquired by Eroton Exploration and Production Company in 2014.
Recent evidence published by the BBC also suggested that Shell continued operating the Bille oil field and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line despite internal concerns about environmental risks and ageing infrastructure.
The revelations emerged during legal proceedings brought by Niger Delta communities seeking accountability for pollution linked to more than 100 oil spills recorded between 2011 and 2013.
