Osa Igiehon. Osayande (Osa) Igiehon (born 9 November 1970) is a Nigerian energy executive, engineer and the Chief Executive Officer of Heirs Energies Ltd, an integrated energy company that manages a share of Nigeria’s oil and gas production.

Early life 
Osayande Igiehon was born and raised in Nigeria. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Benin  

Igiehon’s early exposure to engineering led him to pursue a career in the oil and gas sector.

Career 
Igiehon’s career began in the early 2000s when he joined Shell, where he worked in various leadership roles across multiple countries, including Nigeria, the Netherlands, Gabon, and Russia. At Shell Gabon, he led a successful business transformation, culminating in the operational transition of the company to new ownership. In 2011, Osayande Igiehon served as Chairman of the Nigerian Council of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (2011-2013).

Before his appointment as CEO of Heirs Energies, Igiehon held several positions in the energy sector, gaining extensive experience in operational management, business transformation, and energy infrastructure development leading energy projects.

Heirs Energies
In 2021, Osayande Igiehon was appointed as the CEO of Heirs Energies, a subsidiary of Heirs Holdings Group, a diversified conglomerate founded by Nigerian businessman Tony Elumelu. Heirs Energies operates across the energy value chain, including oil and gas exploration, production, and power generation.
Under Igiehon's leadership, Heirs Energies within a few months of taking over operations increased oil production from 27,000 barrels per day to 52,000 barrels per day on its OML 17 oil block. This performance contributed to Heirs Energies managing around 5% of Nigeria’s total oil production and playing a role in the country’s gas production addressing Nigeria’s energy security. This is particularly relevant as many international oil companies (IOCs) have scaled back or exited onshore operations in the country in recent years.. 

Igiehon has also focused on tackling the issue of oil theft, which has been a major challenge for the Nigerian oil sector. Through strategic initiatives and collaborations with key stakeholders, Heirs Energies has significantly improved its terminal delivery rate—increasing it from 3% in December 2021 to an average of 85% by 2024, overcoming logistical and security hurdles in the Niger Delta region. 

Igiehon has participated in several international energy forums including the 2024 Future Investment Initiative organised by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh,  2024 African Energy Week in Cape Town and the 17th German-African Energy Forum in Hamburg discussing Africa’s energy challenges and the role indigineous companies play through locally driven solutions to achieve energy security and support sustainable economic growth across Africa. 

In 2023, under his leadership, Heirs Energies received the ‘Excellence in Sustainable Energy Operations’ award at the Nigerian Business Leadership Awards by BusinessDay Media.  

Similarly, in 2022, it was awarded the ‘Africa Deal of the Year 2021’ by Project Finance International (PFI), following its $1.1 billion financing and acquisition of a 45 per cent stake in OML 17, in January 2021. >.

Personal Life
Igiehon is married and has children.

References

1970 births
Living people
Nigerian engineers
Nigerian business executives
University of Benin (Nigeria) alumni