Julius Rone: The Businessman to Watch

 Out for in 2026

Big projects announce themselves quietly. Where steel arrives offshore, schedules tighten, and conversations shift from promises to measurements, that is where Julius Rone now stands.

Rone is the Group Managing Director of UTM Offshore Limited and the force behind Nigeria’s first indigenous Floating Liquefied Natural Gas facility, sited off Akwa Ibom. The project targets 2.8 million tons of LNG yearly. No Nigerian company has led such an effort before.

His reputation as the country’s Gas King rests less on branding than on sequencing. While others debated policy, Rone chased permits, partners, and money. In 2024, Afreximbank approved a $350 million loan, anchoring a broader $5 billion financing plan.

That funding unlocked momentum. Licenses followed. Final Investment Decision moved from ambition to expectation. By 2026, the project will enter its loudest phase: engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning. In other words, steel goes into water.

Rone’s FLNG aims to supply a quarter of domestic LPG demand. About 500,000 tons. Is it possible to ignore such a person? Not when his project reframes gas as infrastructure. Not when every milestone announcement becomes a signal to investors watching indigenous capacity.

Not when partnerships are amplifying the stakes, involving Japanese, French, and British engineering giants. Really, execution in 2026 will decide whether Nigerian-led offshore gas feels normal or exceptional.

Rone’s backstory explains his patience. Born in Delta State, shaped by time in OMPADEC and NDDC, he understands state machinery and its limits. His OFR honour reflects contribution, while his reputation for settling obligations reflects character.

That mix matters. Plus, Rone’s insistence on personal accountability, even when debts were not his, travels fast in boardrooms. Also, his philanthropy fills the margins, covering education and healthcare. So, watch 2026 closely.