Robert Onyejekwe
By Our Reporter
This is the sad story of the demise of a US based, Nigerian born Oil & Gas executive, Robert Onyejekwe, reportedly died in his room at a Lagos hotel.
The deceased is said to be an indigine of Onitsha, Anambra State and was based in Sugar Land, Houston, Texas, United States.
Onyejekwe was the President, Bits and Drilling Tools product line with executive leadership, global strategy, technology portfolio and business management of one of the fastest growing business units in Schlumberger.
Under his leadership, several “game changing” Bits and Drilling technology were launched which is intended to provide the oil and gas industry with reduced driving cost by improving rate of penetration.
Until recently, Onyejekwe was the Global Director, Sales and Commercial for the Reservoir and Infrastructure group for Schlumberger. He was responsible for the deal origination & growth play strategies for eight (8) business product lines focused on market maximization and penetration.
He is also keenly interested in educational development, he has participated since 2015 as a volunteer member of the Faculty of the Future panel, a Schlumberger company initiative that selects and awards fellowships to women from developing and emerging economies to pursue PhD or Post-doctorate studies in Science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines at leading universities worldwide.
He joined the board of the Schlumberger Foundation in April 2017 and is currently a director.
He was a successful business man in Oil & Gas. He recently hosted his annual OTC (Over The Counter) party in Houston, Texas in the US.
It is being reported that he visited Nigeria for meetings in Lagos regarding the Oil and Gas Company he bought about four years ago, and was reported to be planning to move to Lagos in the not too distant future.
Sources squealed that Mr. Onyejekwe found out his MD had been under-cutting the company, which necessitated he visited Lagos to sort things out. There were some meetings scheduled and a board meeting for Thursday for the MD to hand over and leave the company. After one of the scheduled meetings, he was said to have gone to his Hotel room in Ikoyi to rest in-between meetings. He was found dead on Sunday evening in his Hotel room. He was 51 years old.
Onyejekwe held a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan Nigeria, an MBA from the University of Rotterdam, Netherlands and a diploma in Finance from the IMD University, Switzerland. He was an active member of SPE since 1996. Robert was awarded in 2018 the award of the executive of the year by the University of Ibadan Alumni for his leadership and management skills.
His wife and a family friend are said to be on their way to Lagos to take his remains to Houston for burial.
