Tony Onoh’s Unusual Quietness

Where is Tony Onoh, the CEO, Eurafric  Oil and Coastal Services? This question may remain unanswered until probably when he resurfaces on the social scene.

However, if you are wondering why the question is so important, it is because Onoh was one of the big boys in the oil and gas sector during the administration of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

In fact his last major outing, it was gathered, was in February, 2016 when his company signed a 300 MW Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Cummings Cogeneration Ltd, as part of plans to build one of Africa’s largest gas-fired power plants.

But since the Jonathan administration wound up in 2015, Onoh has literally taken cover for some inexplicable reasons.

Obviously, his story will continue to astound many who know him to be a businessman and chief executive with an unusual gut. As a businessman, he does not cringe, even in the face of difficulty. Perhaps, this unique attribute was the impetus that made him go into the oil and gas business at a time when many had not given him any chance of survival.

When Onoh set up Eurafric Oil and Coastal Service in the 90’s, many had sneered at him, but he simply refused to allow his dream die. A couple of years after, the  owner of Saple Power Plc in Ogorode, Delta State struck a deal to provide over 10 million litres of diesel to the landlocked West African country of Chad. Then, the only way to get the fuel delivered was to send it by truck through Nigeria’s northern borders. He was, therefore, advised to bring in the fuel by sea, store it in the Apapa depot owned by the old African Petroleum Plc in Lagos and engage a third party logistic firm to handle haulage of the product by road.

This arrangement worked so well for him that he not only became a multi-millionaire, but he also empowered most of the other firms and commercial partners working with him.