What are the most significant cases and transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

In my current role as general counsel, I am responsible for managing legal issues for Chevron in Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon. In our team, we describe ourselves as business lawyers who truly understand the business and provide extensive support on a myriad of varied issues across the referenced coverage areas, including transactional work, contracting and procurement, compliance, dispute resolution, and more.

More recently, the team has provided support for several transactions. These include securing a $1.4bn financing package from a consortium of international and local banks for a multi-year drilling program (2022 – 2026) comprising 37 wells in the offshore and onshore Escravos area, along with associated facilities.

Additionally, the team facilitated the conversion, under the Petroleum Industry Act, of all the Oil Mining Leases in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and Chevron Nigeria Joint Venture and OML 127 in the deepwater to Petroleum Mining Leases and Petroleum Prospecting Licenses. The team also played a key role in the entry into Oil Prospecting License 215 to boost deepwater development opportunities and the signing of a 20-year renewal for three deepwater leases, among other notable accomplishments.

How have you attempted to bring the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

As mentioned earlier, we are business lawyers and are intentional about understanding the business we support. We focus on deepening our business acumen and sharing knowledge about legal and regulatory compliance with the business. We consistently partner with the business to co-create business-focused, solution-oriented options that truly deliver value and generate great returns.

We cultivate a learning and growth environment within our team, ensuring a continual deepening of our fluency, knowledge, and experience each day. This enables us to adapt to the dynamic and evolving business environment in which we operate. This is only made possible through our partnership with the business. We maintain a strong relationship with our internal clients, offering bespoke cost-effective solutions to meet business needs while ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations to mitigate exposure to the business.

What are some of the main legislative or regulatory changes that have impacted you?

I would say that over the last three years, the passing of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and the regulatory framework for its implementation have marked significant changes. Like many other operators, Chevron is committed to operationalising the PIA and associated regulations. This includes our recent conversion of all Oil Mining Leases (OML) in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and Chevron Nigeria Joint Venture and OML 127 in the deepwater to Petroleum Mining Leases and Petroleum Prospecting Licenses.

There has been significant collaboration between the regulatory agencies and Chevron Nigeria in developing regulations to operationalise the PIA. Since the enactment of the PIA, we have achieved certain key milestones, including the renewal of critical deepwater leases and the resolution of some legacy disputes. Additionally, we are progressively implementing the Host Community Development Trust regulations under the PIA. These achievements are all attributable to partnerships with key internal and external stakeholders.