Ololade Adeyanju/
Shell has reinforced its commitment to safe operations across its businesses in Nigeria, bringing together chief executives of contracting companies to strengthen leadership accountability and ensure safety remains central to the delivery of major energy projects.
The commitment was renewed at the annual Shell Leadership and Contractor CEO Conference held in Lagos on August 18, with the theme, “Learn. Adapt. Improve.”
Executive Vice President and Country Chair Nigeria, Elohor Aiboni, told participants that while Shell is pursuing an extensive portfolio of projects and operations to meet Nigeria’s growing energy needs and support national development, safety remains the overriding measure of success.
“Shell is delivering an extensive portfolio of projects and operations that will help meet Nigeria’s growing energy needs, create value for our stakeholders, and support national development,” Aiboni said.
She added that the company was advancing major opportunities and executing complex projects but stressed that the scale or importance of any project could never take precedence over safety.
“No matter how significant the opportunity, no matter how important the project, our success will always be measured first by how safely we deliver it. That is why this conference matters,” she said.
The conference brought together Shell leadership and contractor CEOs for discussions on operational experiences, lessons from previous activities and measures to continuously improve safety performance.
It also featured an exhibition as well as awards and recognition for outstanding safety performance.
A major highlight was the signing of the Leadership Charter, jointly developed in 2025 by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) and its contractor partners.
Speaking ahead of the signing, SNEPCo Managing Director, Ronald Adams, said the conference theme underscored the purpose of the charter and the need for organisations to continuously learn from their operations.
According to him, effective learning requires openness about successes, challenges and feedback from employees and operations, while adaptation demands a willingness to change approaches where realities on the ground require improvement.
“To improve, we must make sure that the commitments in the Charter are not only discussed during conferences, but embedded into how we lead, how we engage, how we review performance, and how we support safe execution every day,” Adams said.
The charter is expected to deepen collaboration between SNEPCo and its contractors by translating leadership commitments into everyday workplace practices and strengthening accountability for safe project execution.
Aiboni further emphasised the human dimension of Shell’s safety philosophy, insisting that every worker, whether directly employed by Shell or working through its contractors, must be protected.
“Every person who works for Shell or on behalf of Shell deserves to return home safely to their family, every day, without exception,” she said.
The conference reaffirmed Shell’s position that operational performance and project delivery must go hand-in-hand with a strong safety culture, particularly as the company advances major energy projects and operations across Nigeria.
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