NLNG Bids Farewell To Mshelbila, Names Falade New CEO

Nigeria LNG Ltd, NLNG, has held a symbolic sendoff ceremony in Abuja to mark the end of the tenure of its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philip Mshelbila, who will leave the company after more than four years in office.

The NLNG Board of Directors has also approved the appointment of Engr. Adeleye Falade as the company’s next managing director and chief executive officer.

Falade, currently CEO of Brunei LNG, is expected to assume office in April 2026 while
Mshelbila will exit NLNG on Dec. 31, 2025, to take up a new role as Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, GECF, in Doha, Qatar.

The sendoff ceremony was attended by NLNG directors, executives from shareholder companies, senior government officials, energy sector stakeholders, members of NLNG management and staff representatives.

Speaking at the event, NLNG Deputy Managing Director Olakunle Osobu described Mshelbila as a distinguished professional whose leadership spanned business sustainability, emissions control and operational safety.

Osobu said Mshelbila assumed office during a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread flooding, gas pipeline vandalism and supply disruptions, as well as global energy market volatility triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war.

Despite the challenges, Osobu said NLNG under Mshelbila pursued reforms aimed at strengthening sustainability and supply security.

He noted that the company, for the first time, expanded its feed-gas sources beyond shareholder joint ventures by signing long-term gas supply agreements with six third-party suppliers in August 2025.

The agreements are expected to deliver about 1.29 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day, a move Osobu described as a significant shift in the company’s operating model.

Also speaking, NLNG General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, praised Mshelbila’s leadership, citing his emphasis on environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.

In his response, Mshelbila thanked the company’s shareholders, board and staff for their support, saying he would carry NLNG’s culture of innovation into his new role at the GECF.

He said his focus at the forum would be to promote natural gas as a reliable and sustainable energy source while strengthening cooperation between producing and consuming countries.

PR