Ademola Adeyemi-Bero Flying Higher

Some birds never settle on one branch for long. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, the jet-fuelled mind behind Nigeria’s First Exploration and Petroleum Development Co., is one of them.

Already a heavyweight in the oil and gas arena with 57,000 barrels per day to his name and a billion-dollar Shell acquisition under his belt, Adeyemi-Bero is now steering First E&P into new skies. The latest: Tanzania’s Mnazi Bay North Block, a patch of earth that hums with gas-rich promise, just shy of Mozambique’s fabled reserves.

This is not a tentative toe-dip. A six-month technical assessment has begun, courtesy of a fresh memorandum of understanding with Tanzania Petroleum Development Corp., and both sides seem eager to press forward. George Toriola, First E&P’s strategy chief, has hinted at “keen” urgency. And for good reason. If this venture bears fruit, it could be First E&P’s first major natural gas play beyond Nigeria—a symbolic and strategic expansion in equal measure.

But this isn’t just about one company stretching its wings. Adeyemi-Bero is part of a broader wave. Nigerian firms now peering eastward, outward, anywhere but home. With the majors packing up and leaving Africa’s shallow waters and swamplands behind, indigenous players are seizing the moment. They’re not just absorbing legacy assets; they’re writing their own cross-border chapters.

In that story, Adeyemi-Bero plays a dual role. Beyond the boardroom, he’s Nigeria’s governor to OPEC and chairs the group’s Board of Governors, a rare blend of corporate savvy and diplomatic heft. His résumé runs long: Shell veteran, British Gas exec, Imperial College alumnus, dealmaker with global reach.

Yet even with all this gravitas, his next act feels fresh. East Africa beckons, and First E&P, led by a man who knows when and how to leap, is airborne once more.

Only time will tell what Mnazi Bay yields. But one thing’s certain: Adeyemi-Bero isn’t circling. He’s climbing.