Management Profiles

Tayo Awogboro is a highly accomplished energy and commodities executive with over 17 years of experience spanning oil and gas trading, business development, and corporate leadership across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

As the pioneer Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Aipec Group — an indigenous commodities company incorporated in 2016 — Tayo was instrumental in architecting the Company's strategic framework, business plans, and growth objectives from the ground up. He retains overall responsibility for the Group's leadership, trading operations, and business development strategy, having built it into a commercially viable and growing enterprise. Prior to founding Aipec Group, Tayo served as Managing Director and Head Trader at Kata TMS Limited from 2014 to 2016, where he drove measurable shareholder value and contributed significantly to the company's commercial growth. He continues to serve on its board as a director.

Earlier in his career, he held the position of Head Trader at Aiteo Energy Resources in London, where he specialised in trading and business development, and previously served as Head Trader at Oando Trading Limited in Bermuda — where he was solely responsible for the sourcing and supply of all gasoline cargoes, generating in excess of USD $70 million in profit for the business.

Alongside his extensive track record in the energy sector, Tayo serves as a director on the boards of two mining companies — Nubia Resources Limited and Metals & Extraction Company of Nigeria Limited — where he plays an active role in driving acquisitions, project development, and the execution of the companies' growth strategies.

His appointment brings to the Company a rare combination of frontline commodity trading expertise, senior executive leadership, and direct board-level experience in Nigeria's solid minerals and mining sector — making him a significant asset as the Company pursues its operational and development objectives.

Christopher Ibru is a seasoned commercial and operations executive with a distinguished career spanning international commodity trading, maritime logistics, and energy sector management across West Africa and Europe.

He began his career in ship broking in London, gaining broad exposure across leading global firms. At Braemar Seascope, he served as a product broker specialising in LPG exports from West Africa, before advancing to Clarksons, where he focused on clean petroleum product (CPP) ship broking — managing import flows from North West Europe and the Mediterranean into West Africa, as well as cross-regional West African trade.

Building on this foundation, Christopher transitioned into senior executive leadership, serving as Managing Director of Emsee Shipping Line Limited, a member company of the Ibru Organisation Group, based at the Apapa Port Complex in Lagos. In this capacity, he has led the administrative restructuring of the Group's energy sector operations and overseen the efficient management of jetty and port facilities.

Christopher brings his commercial expertise to bear across several boards, including Aipec Oil and Gas Limited, Metals & Extraction Company of Nigeria Limited, and Stokes Energy Limited — demonstrating a sustained commitment to Nigeria's extractive and energy industries.

His transition into the solid minerals and mining sector is a natural extension of his deep-rooted experience in commodity logistics, energy operations, and resource extraction across the region. He brings rigorous attention to detail, sound commercial judgement, and a results-driven approach to the Company's board.

Victor Bakare is a distinguished finance professional with over 13 years of progressive experience across audit and assurance, financial reporting, treasury and investment management, and financial advisory — drawn from both industry practice and corporate leadership roles in Nigeria's financial services sector.

He holds a B.Sc. in Accounting from the University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He is also a Level II Candidate of the CFA Institute's Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) Programme, and is currently completing an MBA at Nexford University, Washington D.C., United States — reflecting a continued commitment to professional development at the highest level.

Victor began his professional career in audit before transitioning into the insurance and financial services industry, where he built the majority of his expertise. He spent four years at Standard Alliance Life Insurance, before joining Old Mutual Nigeria Life Insurance (now emPLE), where he progressed from Fund Accountant through to Finance Operations Manager — a trajectory that demonstrated both his technical depth and his capacity for institutional leadership.

He subsequently served as Financial Controller at Tangerine Life Assurance, further broadening his experience across financial operations and controls. Most recently, Victor served as Chief Financial Officer at Coronation Life Insurance Limited, one of Nigeria's respected life assurance institutions, where he held executive responsibility for the Company's financial strategy, reporting, and governance frameworks.

His appointment as CFO brings to the Company a rigorous financial discipline, deep expertise in treasury and investment management, and a strong regulatory and governance mindset — capabilities that are essential as the Company scales its mining operations and pursues its long-term growth objectives.

Rowland Echem is a highly experienced shipping, logistics, and petroleum operations professional with over 20 years of specialised expertise in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. His career is distinguished by a consistent track record of operational leadership across some of Nigeria's most prominent energy trading and downstream companies, and a deep command of vessel chartering, shipping operations, and regulatory compliance.

Rowland holds a Higher National Diploma in Management from Lagos State Polytechnic and a Postgraduate Diploma from Lagos State University. He has further augmented his technical expertise through several professional development programmes at the Oxford Princeton Programme on Petroleum Studies, with attendance at sessions in both London and South Africa — underscoring his commitment to maintaining internationally aligned competencies in petroleum operations. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Shipping, a distinction that reflects the depth of his professional standing within Nigeria's maritime and shipping community.

He began his professional career at Ocean and Oil Limited, where he served as Shipping and Operations Supervisor. In this capacity, he functioned as the primary liaison between the Company and its network of agents and counterparties — a role that cultivated his early expertise in commercial shipping relationships, operational coordination, and private sector transaction management. In 2003, Rowland was selected as a foundation member of the operations team at Oando Supply and Trading — a formative appointment that placed him at the heart of one of Nigeria's most active petroleum trading platforms from its inception.

During his tenure at Oando Plc, he progressed through a series of increasingly senior roles, including Trade Operator and Supervisor of Chartering and Shipping Operations — responsibilities that encompassed vessel chartering, supervision of shipping agents and freight forwarders, and the management of DPR and PPPRA documentation for claims and refund processing, as well as demurrage and claims administration. He subsequently served as Head of Shipping and Operations at Aiteo Energy Resources Limited in Lagos, where he held executive responsibility for overseeing trading operations, vessel chartering, and berthing logistics.

Since joining Aipec Oil and Gas Limited in 2016 as Shipping and Logistics Manager, Rowland has applied his extensive operational expertise to strengthening the Company's shipping infrastructure, logistics efficiency, and regulatory compliance frameworks — contributing directly to the Company's ability to execute its trading and supply operations with precision and commercial effectiveness. His profile represents a rare depth of institutional knowledge across Nigeria's oil and gas value chain, making him an invaluable asset to the Company's operational leadership team.

Sabitu Ajadi is a highly seasoned petroleum operations and terminal management professional with over 35 years of hands-on experience across Nigeria's oil and gas sector. His career reflects an exceptional depth of technical expertise, operational leadership, and institutional knowledge accumulated across some of Nigeria's most significant petroleum infrastructure environments.

Sabitu holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mechanical Engineering from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State. He has further strengthened his technical foundation through several specialised professional development programmes in Petroleum Terminal Management and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) — equipping him with the operational and regulatory competencies required to manage complex, high-throughput petroleum terminal facilities to international standards.

He commenced his professional career in 1985 with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), specifically within the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company Limited (PPMC) — a strategic subsidiary responsible for the distribution and marketing of petroleum products across Nigeria. Over the course of his tenure, Sabitu demonstrated remarkable versatility and technical progression, gaining substantive experience across virtually every facet of depot operations — including laboratory management, petroleum stock management, materials and stock auditing, and maintenance engineering. His consistent performance and technical acumen saw him rise to the position of Head of the Mechanical Department.

In 2003, Sabitu joined ASCON Oil Company Limited as Operations Executive — one of the pioneer companies in Nigeria's petroleum industry privatisation programme, which commenced in 1999. His contributions to the Company's operational development were significant and consistently recognised, leading to his promotion to Manager of Operations in 2008. In this senior capacity, he assumed full responsibility for depot operations — overseeing the safe, efficient, and compliant management of the Company's petroleum storage and distribution infrastructure.

Sabitu currently serves as Terminal Manager at Aipec Oil and Gas Limited, where he brings the full weight of his operational experience to bear in ensuring that the Company's terminal facilities are managed with the highest standards of efficiency, safety, and regulatory compliance. His leadership is central to optimising throughput, maintaining asset integrity, and supporting the Company's broader downstream operational objectives. His appointment represents an outstanding depth of petroleum operations expertise — spanning over three decades of progressive responsibility across Nigeria's public and private sector energy landscape.

Jefferson Eguagie is a highly accomplished geoscientist and technical project manager with extensive field experience across Nigeria's mining and mineral exploration sector. His career is defined by a rigorous command of geological science, a strong operational track record, and a demonstrated ability to translate complex technical data into actionable insights that drive sound business decisions.

He possesses deep expertise across the full spectrum of geoscientific disciplines, including geological survey, geochemical sampling, data processing, structural interpretation, and field geology. This breadth of technical knowledge enables him to deliver comprehensive, high-quality reporting that underpins exploration strategy, resource evaluation, and operational planning at both project and corporate levels.

Jefferson built a strong foundation in regulatory and compliance practice during his tenure at the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, where he served as a member of the ministerial inspection team responsible for conducting thorough assessments of mining sites across the South-Eastern region of Nigeria. This experience provided him with an authoritative understanding of Nigeria's mining regulatory framework and the operational standards required for responsible and compliant resource development.

In his current role as Mining Operations Manager for Nubia Resources Limited and Metals & Extraction Company of Nigeria Limited (MEXCON), Jefferson provides strategic operational support across both companies' active projects. He applies his technical expertise to market analysis, resource planning, and strategic decision-making — playing a central role in optimising operational efficiency and positioning the companies for sustainable growth within the sector.

His appointment brings to the Company an exceptional combination of hands-on field experience, regulatory insight, and operational leadership — capabilities that are critical to the successful advancement of the Company's exploration and production objectives.

Ore St. Mathews-Daniel is a versatile and commercially astute executive whose career spans private banking, corporate banking, management consulting, asset management, and — most recently — mining production and mineral exports. This diverse professional background equips him with a uniquely broad perspective on value creation across capital-intensive and resource-driven industries.

Ore holds a BA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Leicester, and a postgraduate qualification in Business Management — awarded with Merit — from Loughborough University, United Kingdom.

He began his corporate career at FBN Bank UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc, where he was embedded within the Business Development and Origination team, focusing on Mortgages and Lending. In this role, he was responsible for underwriting loan applications for presentation to senior management and the credit control committee, managing a property portfolio valued at approximately £35 million over an 18-month period — demonstrating early aptitude for rigorous financial analysis and stakeholder management at an institutional level.

Ore subsequently broadened his expertise across asset management, portfolio construction, and management consulting before pivoting into the extractive industries — where he has found a natural alignment between his commercial skills and the strategic demands of resource development. He currently serves as a Commercial and Operations Executive at Aipec Group, an energy-focused conglomerate with interests spanning oil and gas midstream and downstream operations, soft commodities, mineral exports, and mining for technology metals. In this capacity, he plays an integral role in driving the Group's commercial strategy, operational efficiency, and its growing presence in Nigeria's solid minerals and mining sector.

His appointment brings to the Company a disciplined commercial mindset, a strong grasp of international finance and trade, and direct operational experience in mineral exports — making him well-positioned to contribute meaningfully to the Company's growth and market development objectives.

Oritsetsolaye “Tsola” Popo is a highly regarded legal and strategy executive specialising in energy, infrastructure, and mining law, with a distinguished track record advising on complex commercial transactions, project development, regulatory affairs, corporate governance, and strategic growth initiatives across the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and broader African markets.

In her capacity as Group General Counsel and Head of Strategy, Tsola leads the Group's legal and compliance function while playing a central role in shaping and executing its overarching strategic objectives. Her mandate spans the full breadth of the Group's commercial activities — encompassing strategic transactions, commercial negotiations, project structuring, regulatory engagement, corporate governance, risk management, and the identification and evaluation of new business opportunities across the Group's mining, downstream oil and gas, infrastructure, and trading operations. Tsola brings a wealth of experience drawn from some of the world's most respected legal and corporate institutions.

Her professional background includes senior roles and engagements at Centurion Law Group, Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters, BP, ArcelorMittal, and James Fisher & Sons — a portfolio of institutions that spans international private practice, global energy majors, and large-scale industrial operations. This breadth of exposure has equipped her with a sophisticated understanding of cross-border transactions, energy transition dynamics, extractive industry frameworks, infrastructure development, and the commercial and regulatory nuances of African market entry and growth.

Her approach is defined by a commitment to building legal structures that are not only robust and compliant, but commercially practical and strategically aligned — ensuring that the Group's business lines are positioned for long-term value creation, responsible resource development, and effective operational execution. Her appointment brings to the Company an exceptional combination of international legal expertise, strategic acumen, and deep sector knowledge — providing the governance foundation and transactional capability required to support the Company's ambitions as it advances its mining portfolio and pursues growth across the region.

Abimbola Bakare is a seasoned human capital and organisational development executive with close to two decades of progressive experience in generalist Human Resource Management across diverse industries and sectors of the Nigerian economy. She brings a distinctive combination of strategic thinking, operational rigour, and a genuine commitment to people development — qualities that are central to building the institutional capability required to support a growing mining enterprise.

Abimbola holds both an undergraduate degree and a Master's degree in Managerial Psychology (M.MP) from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMN) and a Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) of the American Certification Institute — professional credentials that reflect her sustained investment in HR excellence and best practice.

She began her professional career as a Human Resource Analyst at Afrinvest West Africa Limited, one of Nigeria's foremost investment banking institutions, where she developed a strong foundation in structured HR practice within a high-performance financial services environment. In 2011, Abimbola joined the Nigerian operations of G4S — a global leader in security and workforce solutions — initially serving as Human Resource Advisor before earning promotion to Human Resource Business Line Manager. In this expanded role, she assumed responsibility for a workforce of over 5,000 employees deployed across multiple client locations nationwide, demonstrating an exceptional capacity for large-scale workforce management, operational coordination, and stakeholder engagement.

Driven by a commitment to continuous professional growth, she subsequently joined Zomay Group in 2015 — a diversified marine logistics firm with interests spanning marine operations, oil and gas, dredging, and construction — where she gained valuable exposure to strategic HR leadership within a complex, multi-sector group environment, directly comparable to the operational demands of a mining and resources group.

In her current role as Head of Human Resources and Administration at Aipec Group, Abimbola oversees the full spectrum of the Group's human capital and administrative functions, including recruitment and talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, learning and development, payroll administration, and performance management. Her leadership ensures that the Group attracts, retains, and develops the calibre of talent required to execute its strategic objectives across its mining, energy, and trading operations. Her appointment brings to the Company a proven HR leader with the depth of experience, professional grounding, and people-centred philosophy essential to fostering a high-performance organisational culture as the Company grows and matures its operations.