Ewe Ugochukwu Clement: A Career Spanning Engineering, Education and Community Leadership

Ayo Ake

Some careers are measured by promotions. Others are measured by impact. For Engineer Ewe Ugochukwu Clement, more than twenty-seven years in Nigeria’s petroleum industry tell a story not only of professional advancement but also of continuous learning, technical leadership, and a commitment to developing both people and institutions.

Born on 25 March 1970 in Obi-Ozimini, in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Clement’s journey reflects a philosophy that has remained constant throughout his life: education is not a destination but a lifelong pursuit.

He began his formal education at State School, Obi-Ozimini, before proceeding to Western Ahoada County High School, where he obtained the West African School Certificate. Rather than viewing education as something completed in early adulthood, he continued to pursue new qualifications while building a demanding career in one of Nigeria’s most technically complex industries.

Over the years, he earned qualifications in electrical and electronics, petroleum engineering, chemical engineering, technology education, occupational safety, and vocational studies from several Nigerian institutions, including the Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), the University of Ibadan, Imo State Polytechnic, the University of Port Harcourt, and Enugu State University of Science and Technology, where he is pursuing doctoral studies. His academic journey illustrates an uncommon commitment to professional growth while remaining actively engaged in full-time industry practice.

Clement began his professional career in 1997 with Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited at the Obagi Oil Field (OML 58), where he worked in production operations. His early responsibilities included production reporting, well activation, operational coordination, and support for field production systems. These formative years provided practical experience in upstream petroleum operations and laid the foundation for a career that would span both onshore and offshore facilities.

As his responsibilities expanded, so did his technical expertise. He later joined the Amenam-Kpono offshore development under TOTALFINAELF, contributing to the commissioning and production start-up of one of Nigeria’s significant offshore projects. During this period, he participated in Phase 1, which achieved first oil in 2003, and later in the Phase 2 expansion that strengthened production capacity and gas export operations.

Throughout his career, Clement has held a range of operational and leadership positions, including Senior Production Operator, Chief Production Operator, Production Team Leader, Head of Health, Safety and Environment, and Head of Site Supervision. His experience spans production optimisation, offshore operations, environmental management, permit-to-work systems, workforce supervision, and operational planning across major oil and gas assets.

Between 2013 and 2019, he led Health, Safety and Environment activities at the Obite Gas Plant, where he supervised environmental management systems, safety audits, permit-to-work processes, and incident investigations. During this period, the facility recorded multiple consecutive years of zero non-conformities in British Standards Institution (BSI) ISO 14001 environmental audits, reflecting sustained attention to operational discipline and regulatory compliance.

Since 2019, Clement has served as Head of Site Supervision and Production Team Leader on the Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility under TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited. In this role, he oversees production activities, coordinates safety-critical operations, manages multidisciplinary teams, and supervises high-risk offshore work, including confined space entry, subsea operations, leak testing, pigging, and permit-to-work implementation. He also played a leadership role in coordinating offshore personnel planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring operational continuity under unprecedented circumstances.

His professional development has extended beyond Nigeria through technical training and operational programmes in France, Malaysia, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. These international engagements exposed him to global engineering practices and reinforced the importance of maintaining international standards in production operations and industrial safety.

Beyond his operational responsibilities, Clement has maintained an interest in knowledge transfer and professional development. Colleagues and younger professionals who have worked alongside him describe him as a mentor who encourages continuous learning, technical discipline, and adherence to safety standards. Throughout his career, he has participated in the development of production personnel, contributing to the growth of technical teams responsible for some of Nigeria’s most important energy assets.

Outside the energy sector, his interest in education has also found expression through educational institutions and entrepreneurial ventures that seek to expand learning opportunities and skills development. These initiatives reflect the same philosophy that has defined his personal academic journey: that education remains one of the most sustainable investments in society.

Although widely recognised for his engineering career, Clement’s influence extends beyond technical operations. His involvement in community development, workforce mentorship, and educational initiatives reflects a broader understanding of leadership, one that views professional success as inseparable from service to others.

At a time when technological change continues to reshape the global energy industry, careers such as Clement’s demonstrate the enduring value of technical competence, continuous education, and disciplined leadership. More than two decades after beginning his journey in Nigeria’s petroleum sector, his professional story reflects not only individual achievement but also the role experienced engineers continue to play in developing talent, strengthening operational excellence, and contributing to the country’s energy industry.

For Clement, engineering has never been simply about producing oil and gas. It has been a career defined by learning, leadership, and a belief that lasting progress is built through knowledge shared as much as knowledge acquired.