ABOUT US

Who we are

Utilita is an energy infrastructure development company headquartered in the the heart of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos.

The company was founded by energy and power industry experts with over 100 years cumulative hands-on experience in natural gas development, power generation, transmission and distribution.

Utilita is backed by strong domestic and foreign financial partners with an excellent understanding of what is required to deliver innovative power projects on the African continent.

Our approach to quality service delivery without compromising health, safety, and the environment, is supported by our partnership with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and our greatest asset, Utilita employees.

To ensure constant power supply is readily available to our clients, strategic partnerships with OEMs such as Schneider Electric, ABB, Astor Transformers, and Caterpillar allow us to provide world class service.

Gbenga Adegbite

Director

Mr. Gbenga Adegbite holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Lagos and has undergone trainings in the engineering and management sphere in over seven countries including the United Kingdom, France and USA. In his over 20 years’ experience in the power sector, Gbenga has collaborated and worked on various multi-disciplinary power projects with a combined installed capacity of over 1000MW. He has in these various projects risen through the ranks from Field Engineer to Executive Director.

He has managed power projects involving EPC and commissioning including the 150MW Omoku Gas Turbine, and 100MW Trans Amadi Gas turbine power stations, both in Rivers State, Egbema 338MW and Gbarain 225MW simple cycle power plants, amongst others. He holds membership in COREN, NSE and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

 

 

Ehi Eguabor

Director

Mr. Ehi Eguabor, a Nigerian, businessman and entrepreneur, obtained his Higher National Diploma in Business Administration from Yaba College of Technology and Master of Business Administration in Banking and International Finance from University of Calabar, Nigeria.

Mr. Eguabor started his career in the Financial Industry before moving to the Oil and Gas sector. Between 1990 and 2003, while in the Financial Industry, he was extensively exposed to Corporate Finance, Corporate Banking and Financial Institutions, Credit and Marketing, Fund and Portfolio Management and Strategic Management Planning while working at various times in First Finance and Trust Limited, Commercial Bank (Credit Lyonnais) Limited and Access Bank, all in Nigeria.

Before establishing Outturn Oil and Gas, an outfit operating in the downstream sector of the Oil and Gas industry, where he has held the role of Chief Executive Officer since 2005, he worked at Fossil Resources International Limited, a petroleum trading company as General Manager. At Fossil Resources, he gained a sound understanding of the oil and gas sector, with regards to International Trading and Shipping.

Jide Ogundare

Chairman

Mr Jide Ogundare has over 30 years of experience in banking, telecoms, FMCG, oil and energy industries.  Jide is the founder and Managing Director of MBO Capital Management Limited (MCM), a private equity firm based in Nigeria that invests in small to medium-sized businesses in Anglophone West African countries.

He is the Chairman of Eko Development Company Ltd, AccessPay Ltd, Primera Microfinance Bank Ltd, Fountain Holdings Ltd, and Nosak Farm Produce Ltd. Jide also serves on the boards of MCMs portfolio companies including AfyaCare Nigeria Ltd, a healthcare asset investment firm, and Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited (the Nigerian operator of Shoprite stores).

Prior to establishing MBO Capital in 2012, Jide was an Executive Director and Head, Retail Banking Division of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank) and a Non-Executive Director of GTBank (Sierra Leone) Ltd. His expertise lies in corporate governance, transaction structuring, policy & procedure development, client & investor relations, corporate and investment banking, and performance improvement.

He holds an MBA from Cardiff Business School and a first degree in Law from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Jide was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987.

Aniekan Essien

Head Projects/HSE

Aniekan Essien is a motivated, adaptable, versatile, Projects and Safety Consultant/Safety Manager with over 19 years in project management, HSE management, Safety Risk assessments and hazard prevention in various sectors including Nuclear, Oil and Gas, Power and the Rail industries.  He has worked at Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Advantica, GL Noble Denton UK, DNV UK, Safetec UK, Eko Disco (EKEDC), Fenchurch Power and International Energy Services Limited (IESL).

In previous roles, he had successfully developed clearly defined Project/HSE management systems/programs which would better identify, implement and evaluate processes and procedures (such as bespoke tools for project management, proposal tracking and resource management). He also has a full understanding of HSE regulatory and best practices requirements and coupled with strong organizational capacities develops high-performance organisations based on sound safety culture, environmental respect, and regulatory compliance.

An avid Arsenal Football Club supporter, he likes playing football and watching movies to relax.

Atinuke Ekundayo

Head Business Development

Atinuke commenced her professional career at the Embassy of France, Lagos after having obtained a bachelor’s degree in French Language and bilingual proficiency.

In 2001, after developing a keen interest in the Finance Industry she started a new career in banking with Guaranty Trust Bank PLC. An accomplished Business Development Leader, she has over 19 years’ experience in banking gained across various environments in Africa, cutting across Business Development, Business Strategy, Customer Experience, Retail, Commercial and Corporate Banking. After working on post-acquisition integration while at Access Bank PLC, she has become adept at driving, formulating and implementing strategies both locally and abroad.

She holds an MBA from the University of Leicester, UK and has attended various local and international management programs held by various institutions including The Wharton Business School of Management.

She is a proud mother of 2 children. A tennis and football enthusiast, Ms Ekundayo enjoys experiencing different cultures around the world.

Aderike Shonekan

Head Corporate Services

Aderike Shonekan is the Head, Corporate Services at Utilita Energy. In her role, she is actively responsible for managing the administration function of the company and coordinating office processes and procedures to ensure organizational and operational effectiveness and efficiency. 

A lawyer by profession and an alumnus of the University of Wales, Cardiff with more than 20 years of post-call experience, Aderike has previously worked in insurance, public service and pay TV where she was instrumental in setting up a presence and creating local content for M-net and Africa Magic in Nigeria, as well as establishing Ndani, an online platform for GTBank. Her natural communication and creative skills have been honed by these diverse opportunities alongside the varied courses and trainings she has attended both locally and internationally. The experience and knowledge gained, coupled with a desire to explore new directions, have led her to better face challenges and use them as steppingstones to personal and professional advancement.  

Outside of the office, she is an avid reader, loves to swim, dance, listen to music and travel.

Kunle Falola

Chief Operating Officer

Kunle Falola is an experienced business leader with over 22 years professional experience in the finance and infrastructure sectors of the Nigerian economy. Kunle has a deep desire and commitment to establish important benchmarks in the Power Sector and provide the needed support and infrastructure required to fuel economic growth. 

He prides himself in offering innovative and customised solutions by using his deep understanding of the market coupled with extensive knowledge of both the local and international funding market.

After having successfully spent over 15 years in the Nigerian Banking sector with roles in cross functional capabilities cutting across Risk Management, Corporate Banking, Corporate Finance & Investment Banking, Kunle led the team which designed, developed & managed one of the foremost Independent Power Projects in Nigeria which consisted of the second largest distribution network after the National grid. Kunle was also pivotal in the policy formulation, development, and implementation of both the Lagos State Power Sector initiative and the private sector participation projects of the Rural Electrification Agency.

An alumnus of the University of Lagos, Akoka & Loughborough Business School, Loughborough UK, Kunle has also attended various courses and trainings including leadership development training at Harvard Business School.

Funso Adeyemi

MD / CEO

Mr Adeyemi is a knowledgeable energy professional whose varied experiences have honed a deeply technical and commercial capability. 

He has over 20 years of expertise in Field Development Projects (Reservoir Management, Drilling & Completion, Production, Installation and Commissioning); with a strong focus on Business Operational issues regarding Large Offshore Facilities in the North Sea and Gulf of Guinea and Power Generation and Distribution services in Nigeria. He has extensive knowledge in Business Process Re-engineering, Project Management and establishing best in-class Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Culture.

At Fenchurch Group, he was responsible for overseeing the groups wide range of operational delivery Services for Nigeria and Africa. He is currently the Managing Director of Fenchurch Power, the groups diversification into the power generation infrastructure business and Chief Executive Officer of Fenchurch-Michelson West Africa; Prior to Fenchurch he led and managed projects for clients including BP, Total, Shell, Maurel et Prom, Tullow and Chevron; at Metacor (ECM), where he was responsible for Project Controls, Planning and Strategy, and at Weatherford International, where he was the regional Project Manager responsible for Drilling and Production Services for sub-Saharan Africa. He sits on the board of Zeric Energy Resources, Fenchurch Group, Soft App Limited, Alder Shot Power, Ekiti IPP Limited, Sync Systems West Africa and BPSL Nigeria.

He holds a degree in Civil Engineering (B. Eng.) from University of Lagos, (MSc) in Oil and Gas Engineering, from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Scotland and has attended various courses at Energy Institute UK and Institute of Petroleum Engineering.