Julius Rone: The Standard-Bearer of Nigeria’s Gas Revolution

In a sector dominated by global giants, the most ambitious gas project off Nigeria’s coast is being led by a homegrown company. The captain of this majestic company is none other than Julius Rone.

Rone is the Group Managing Director of UTM Offshore Limited. He is pioneering Nigeria’s first indigenous Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility. The project aims to convert “strand gas” from the Yoho field into export-ready fuel and domestic cooking gas.

The scale is significant. The facility is designed to produce 2.8 million tons per annum. Crucially, it is projected to supply 25% of Nigeria’s domestic LPG demand, a direct intervention in the local energy market.

Rone’s accolades in 2025 tell their own story. He was named New Telegraph Personality of the Year and The Sun Newspaper Investor of the Year. Together and on their own, these honours frame him as a visionary reshaping the national energy narrative.

The project’s backing is substantial. UTM Offshore secured a $350 million loan from Afreximbank. It also brought on the NNPC and the Delta State Government as equity partners, blending national and local stakeholdership.

Technically, it relies on global expertise through partnerships with firms like JGC of Japan and Technip Energies of France.

This synergy of indigenous leadership and international engineering is central to its credibility.

The facility is expected to create thousands of jobs. Its location, 60 kilometres off Akwa Ibom State, positions it as a major industrial undertaking in the Niger Delta.

For decades, Nigeria’s gas story was one of flared potential. Rone’s project represents a tangible bid to capture that resource, proving that the standard for a Nigerian energy revolution can be set by a determined insider, not just an invited multinational. And if things go as expected, the footnote to the story would be that Rone almost singlehandedly held up the sector.