The Board of Directors of the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has appointed Mr Adeleye Falade as its new chief executive. He is to assume office in April 2026.
Mr Falade joins NLNG from Brunei LNG, where he has been serving in a similar position.
His appointment follows the exit of Mr Philip Mshelbila after more than four years of leadership to assume the position of Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Doha, Qatar. He will officially leave the company on December 31, 2025.
Last weekend, a send-off ceremony was held in Abuja at the weekend to mark the end of the tenure of Mr Mshelbila and was graced by NLNG Directors, executives from shareholder companies, dignitaries from the public sector and energy industry in Nigeria, members of NLNG management, and representatives of various staff groups.
Speaking about the outgoing NLNG helmsman, Mr Olakunle Osobu, NLNG’s Deputy Managing Director, in his remarks described Mr Mshelbila as a man of distinction, an accomplished professional whose expertise spans medicine, environmental health, strategic business leadership, and global gas diplomacy.
He revealed that the outgoing MD stepped in during a period of unprecedented challenges, from the aftermath of COVID-19 and severe flooding that disrupted gas pipelines to vandalism and force majeure declarations by suppliers.
Mr Osobu stated that the global energy turbulence following the Russia–Ukraine war added further strain, but noted that despite these hurdles, NLNG pursued its sustainability goals with courage and innovation.
“Understanding that NLNG needed multiple supply sources, especially with current challenges, Mshelbila championed a bold and strategic pivot to expand NLNG’s feed-gas base beyond the shareholder joint-venture supply chain.
It was also revealed that under his leadership, NLNG negotiated and signed long-term Gas Supply Agreements (GSAs) with six third-party gas suppliers in August 2025. These GSAs commit to delivering an estimated 1,290 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) of feed-gas to NLNG, a historic step for the Company, marking a seismic shift,”.
Mr Osobu stated that Mr Mshelbila had championed innovation with a forward-looking approach, inspiring NLNG’s workforce to strengthen their commitment to emissions control and environmental stewardship, adding that Mr Mshelbila redefined NLNG’s business model through its transformation programme, building foundations for future sustainability and value creation.
In her remarks, Mrs Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, said, “Thank you for your selflessness, for the steadiness of your leadership, for the clarity of your vision, and for the values that guided your every step. You led with humility, yet you inspired greatness. You carried the weight of challenges with calm resolve. You charted a path toward sustainability long before it became fashionable.”
On his part, Mr Mshelbila expressed profound gratitude to NLNG’s shareholders, Board of Directors, staff, and industry partners for their support throughout his tenure.
He praised the Company’s enduring culture of innovation and excellence and affirmed that he would carry these values into his new role at GECF, where he will promote natural gas as a sustainable and reliable energy source.
As Secretary-General of GECF, Mr Mshelbila will strengthen dialogue between gas-producing and gas-consuming nations, advancing stability in the international gas market.