Sopuruchi Onwuka

Following the completion of a deal to acquire the entire 20.07 percent equity stake held by Etablissements Maurel et Prom (M&P) SA, Nigerian billionaire investor Tony Elumelu has joined the board of Seplat Energy Plc as a Non-Executive Director.

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The acquisition was carried out jointly by Heirs Holdings Limited and Heirs Energies Limited, both affiliated with Elumelu. As a result, M&P has exited Seplat’s shareholding and withdrawn its board representative, Mr Olivier Cleret de Langavant.

Mr Olivier Cleret de Langavant

Seplat Energy announced on Thursday that Elumelu’s appointment to the board takes effect from January 22, 2026, replacing Langavant, who resigned following M&P’s divestment.

In a statement, Seplat’s Director of Legal and Company Secretary, Mrs Edith Onwuchekwa, confirmed that Langavant had served on the board since January 28, 2020, as M&P’s nominee. His resignation followed the sale of M&P’s shares to Heirs Holdings and Heirs Energies earlier in the month.

Elumelu’s appointment further expands his growing portfolio of investments across multiple sectors. He is the Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, a diversified investment company with interests in energy, power, banking, insurance, technology, real estate, hospitality, and healthcare across Africa.

He also serves as Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group, Heirs Energies, and the Transcorp Group, whose subsidiaries include Transcorp Power and Transcorp Hotels Plc.

Widely regarded as one of Africa’s leading advocates for economic transformation, Elumelu was named among TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2020 and was awarded the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2022.

He is also a prominent philanthropist. In 2010, he founded The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), which supports entrepreneurship across all 54 African countries. In addition, he serves on several international boards, including UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Global Leadership Council and the International Monetary Fund’s Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth.

Seplat Energy said Elumelu’s experience and leadership would strengthen the company’s strategic direction and support its long-term growth ambitions.

Commenting on the board changes, Seplat Chairman Mr Udoma Udo Udoma said:
“On behalf of the Board and Management, I wish to express our profound appreciation to Mr Langavant for his outstanding contribution to Seplat Energy over the past six years. His expertise and commitment have been instrumental in driving our strategic initiatives.

“We warmly welcome Mr Elumelu to the Board and look forward to leveraging his wealth of experience and leadership as we continue to pursue sustainable growth and value creation for all stakeholders.”