– Extraordinary Life of The Gas King
– His Ingenious Path to Poverty Eradication, Wealth Creation
-Fifty Years of Gratitude…
Honestly, If entrepreneurship were an art, you could call Julius Rone, Michelangelo. If it were classical music, you may call him Mozart. If it were philanthropy, you may call him Saint Michael. He fulfills the tripartite bust highlighted with remarkable grace and depth of character.
if you ask the billionaire businessman behind the much-talked about UTM FLNG Limited, how it feels to clock fiftieth decade of his life, he will most likely answer you with a chuckle. His answer would steal from smiling lips and climb onto the air with a resonant peal. Think of it as his solo on life’s alto. A soft-cushioned sound in recital of a life in full bloom.
If you ask him, he would tell you that he has not lived in a day, until he has done something for someone who can never repay him. Thus while some billionaires toss satellites into orbit and strive to harness the sun, Julius commits his fortune to nobler, simpler objectives, like raising society’s underprivileged from privation to surplus.
Yes, Julius Rone is 50! As he clocks 50, his significance to enterprise is much like that of the virtuoso to a symphony orchestra. He treats business like notes of a symphony—every verse must be played, every score correctly toned. He’s always been a smart businessman. …CONTINUE READING
Indeed, he affects a flurry of beings curled into one: he is science, an art, a foundation of genius with dashes of brilliance brightening the creativity of his mind and soul, thus illumining the world. A product of pure intellect, vision, and sheer enterprise, he can become any form he creates; he is a library of masterpieces, an intricate web of sensitivity and hope attuned in full measure to the world’s needs.
In the boisterous business circuit, Rone presides authoritatively like an artist, painting beautifully on the industrial canvas with his feats. Building an empire is no walk in the park; it requires a stern disposition to the elements – through good and bad times, success or failure, the entrepreneur must nurse an enduring passion for enterprise. Thus even as the odds rallied against him as devised by torrid fate, Rone never cringed from the bothersome question: “What if I fail?” He simply wondered: “What if I fly?”And the rest is history. Today, he has since risen to unimaginable heights, presiding over one of Nigeria’s most successful business empires.
He Meets Challenges Head-on, Triumphs in Real time
Yes, if success is a mountain peak, he has braved its arduous climb and now stands at the summit of Gas sector. Some random climber would simply sit down and admire the view. But a man of destiny knows that beyond his recent conquest lies another and, yes, another and another. The journey is never complete in the universe of Julius. Indeed, only a man favoured by providence could enjoy the greatness at 50. Even fate acknowledges his competence Perhaps because it is intrepid and eager, and the fruits of its achievement manifest beyond abstraction.
Although, every man commands the gift of an enterprise; for some, it could be unclogging the steam pipes on a cold night; for some, it could be solving the intricate half of a complex equation. Some make their living delivering punchlines in packed theatres and a good many more ferret a living from interior plumbing. Rone, however, asserts his niche in oil and gas and philanthropy. Very few tycoons can pull this off particularly when they have their fingers in many pies. Rone effortlessly does this, thus exploding the legend of the beneficent magnate into a billion sculpted pieces; each statuette projects his dazzling genius and benevolent repute.
Interestingly, you couldn’t have forgotten so soon the conferment of National Honours in the rank of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic, (OFR) by former President Muhammadu Buhari. The honour was in recognition of his ineradicable marks in the oil and gas industry especially the building of Nigeria’s first indigenous Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Facility, and his contributions to the growth and development of this great country, Nigeria, through his entrepreneurial exploits and patriotic zeal for a better society.
Many have wondered how he came to amass such vast affluence and an enduring sway at the pinnacle of the business world; it’s mostly a function of perception. An ingenious ability to discern the labyrinthine tracts of commerce, and his persistence in asking ‘Why?’ Julius symbolizes the enterprising African spirit, unalloyed commitment, resilience and hard work. Thus, he is today one of the most recognisable names on the African continent.
The Magic and the Glory
He is now revered at home and recognised abroad for his protean productivity and impeccable business foresight, spotting goldmines where many see landmines. Blessed with vigorous optimism, a boots-on-the-ground approach to his endeavours, an unflinching belief in destiny, it did not come as any surprise that barely a decade after he ventured into the oil and gas business, is leading older, more established players in the industry by the hand. It was a stormy ride to the top, though. But by dint of hard work, Rone personifies the new generation of entrepreneurs who are establishing themselves as young leaders of the private-sector business community in Nigeria.
Everything about him is a challenge. A test. For instance, he forged his empire through the taunt of failure and the snarl of ambition’s scalding fires. Despite the odds, he survived, establishing his niche as a phenomenal magnate at home and abroad.
And he is still firing on strong. He is dedicated to the business high note – having hit it several years ago with UTM, he understands it requires nurturing. It is often said that to succeed in the oil sector, you must have the heart of Hercules, the fearlessness of Achilles, the grace of Terpsichore, the memory of Macaulay, and the hide of a rhinoceros. Rone, conveniently exudes all of that, thus his ascension to the top of the oil industry’s greasy pole. Indeed, when triumph is your story, there is no right or wrong way to tell it. There is no shame in the intensity or duration of the narrative. Sadness, regret, confusion, yearning and all the experiences of grief become part of the narrative of love for the one who triumphed.
To relate Rone’s triumph story, is to embark on a timeless journey of sorrow and strife; mercilessness and startling compassion, vigour, hope and accomplishment. Triumph could be cruel. It is characteristically rigged to try and taunt and tear a man apart in its bid to tame perceived lust for its perks in its victim, the man. His story may resonate quite familiarly with so many among us. Yet knowledge of the story is mandatory; it is essential to understand the forces that clawed and pawed him into the human element that he has become.
Many of us have been on similar journeys, shared identical travails thus our capacity to grasp the essence of this inspiring back-story. It was never easy being Julius Rone. It is not easy still, to recount how he emerged through his daunting crucible to become a product of his dreams. Reading his story could be cathartic; it could cause you to believe again in the romance and pliant realities of heartfelt dreams. It is said that when you tell your dreams to yourself and reinforce them with will that toils like a steel forge, the universe makes them come true.
Studying Rone’s trajectory to business excellence, which has endeared him to seats of power, influence and wealth from around the world, one would posit that he knew what he wanted early in life. The fact remains that he embarked on that cerebral exploration to fulfill his yearning for good education. He surely had no inkling he would today be operating at a corporate pedestal where he takes on projects that have both national and trans-national impact positively affecting hundreds of millions of people.
Did it occur to Rone that his shoulders would be adjudged formidable enough to bear the burden of eradicating energy poverty in the world’s most populous black nation? Perhaps! Not only has Nigeria reposed such a huge confidence in his ability to bail her out of the energy quagmire that has been deviling her for decades; sectoral players in the oil and gas ecosystem now find him one of the most bankable business minds they are willing to partner with. This is the story of Julius Rone. So far, he has shown himself strong and able, and has continued to inspire confidence, taking up nation-building roles and huge multi-billion dollars investments that leave his contemporaries’ mouths agape. Yet the journey has just started.
Rone has vast experience across the water, logistics, maritime, construction and energy sectors. Since the establishment of UTM Offshore in 2012, Rone’s dedication has enabled the firm to expand dredging, marine, offshore support and construction services across Nigeria and the West African region. As a result, UTM Offshore is now counted among West Africa’s regional energy giants with the firm embarking on a series of partnerships with regional and international governments and companies including Japan’s JGC, Samsung Heavy Industries and US-based KBR to fast-track the development of oil and gas resources.
Intricate Breadth, Strength of Nigeria’s Gas King
Julius Rone, in the estimation of many friends and associates, is unarguably cut out for greater roles in the affairs of the country’s industrial sector but rather than get high on the wings of the lofty hopes about him, he chooses to begin his humble ascent the corridors of acclaim and entrepreneurial power by espousing the morals, personal and professional ethics. The native of Warri, Delta State, through the turbulence of entrepreneurship’s turbulent tides and windstorms, rides the storms like an indefatigable mariner, bolstered by a tenacious spirit and mulish resolve to excel and arrive with his dreams intact, on pliant coasts. Today, that unyielding spirit of Rone has paid off. It has seen him through the teething and oft tumultuous stages of the cut-throat world of global commerce till he emerged unhurt and stronger in spirit and resolve, like a champ. That Rone has attained a specialist status in capacity and infrastructure investment in the petroleum industry has been further buttressed by his latest stride, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
Under his astute leadership, UTM Offshore is building Nigeria’s first and Africa’s first indigenous floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility – a floating production storage and offloading unit that conducts liquefied natural gas operations for developing offshore natural gas resources – thereby spearheading the expansion of Nigeria’s gas market in line with the government’s Decade of Gas Initiative, an initiative that aims to make energy poverty history through the maximization of gas. This is well positioned to shape discussions around the role the continent’s 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources play in lifting the over 600 million people out of energy poverty and providing access to clean cooking to some 900 million people across the continent whilst driving industrialization and economic growth.
With UTM Offshore planning to take a final investment decision on the $5 billion FLNG project in the second quarter of 2023, Rone is poised to redefine infrastructure investment and about to ensure a sustainable future for Nigerians and Africans at large through expanding access to cleaner, safer and reliable energy.
Trajectories of Growth
Effortlessly, The Gas King personifies the kernel of Vince Lombardi’s famous quote: “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit.” Thus for being a true man of valour and peerless feats, the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, has approved the conferment of the National Honours on Julius Rone in the rank of OFR (Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic) come October 11, 2022 in Abuja. For Rone, winning is clearly ingrained in his DNA. All his business ventures have been cutting large swaths through the labyrinths of otherwise unprofitable and volatile industries.
Rone simply wears his entrepreneurial strength and savvy like a badge of honour, on his chest; burnishing it with sweat, as true virtuous men do. Rone presents a rare contradiction to the notion that titans are only appreciated in death. He is a titan. He is very much alive and has become a legend in the hearts and minds of men.
“I am so proud of what Julius is doing with gas. We just need more success in Africa, but we need to nurture it, empower it, reward it, and celebrate it. African entrepreneurs like Julius will help create an African gas revolution that will help transform our continent and the economies of many countries… a great opportunity to share his story about building from bottom up and open conversations about opportunities with service providers,” NJ Ayuk, the Executive Chairman of the AEC stated.
“With abundant gas reserves, amazing technologies like FLNG, and an entrepreneurial spirit, Nigeria and Africa will move towards becoming energy self-reliant. Julius’s gas investments will open the door to a previously unimaginable opportunity that will help invigorate a sluggish post covid economic recovery, speed up job creation, spur new investment, and help us defeat the twin evils of energy poverty and climate change,” Ayuk concluded.
Excellence Founded on Ethics and Grit
Interestingly, however, becoming an entrepreneur is not mere lip service; it takes consistent effort and focus to grow from just being an entrepreneur with interest in a particular business to becoming a respected and renowned empire builder. Nigeria is blessed with many of such men who started from scratch, kept their nose to the grindstone and turned seemingly insignificant ideas into behemoth industries. Julius is one of the risk-taking individuals that would be sent to Mars and still treat it as a stepping stone to Saturn – the quality of constant invention and self-improvement that has earned him worldwide acclaim and prosperity.
Stylish and suave, Julius might be young but has packed so many achievements into his youthful life that would take many a generation to achieve. And he has grown too. Of course, he has so much to be thankful for. God Has been good to Julius and immeasurable adoration to Almighty God for bringing Julius thus far and has helped him glide through life without breaking a limb.
From a humble parentage, Rone has worked his way, with guts and grace, through the wilderness of life to become one of Nigeria’s leading businessmen and wealthiest young men. An alumnus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and the University of Calabar (Cross River State) – where he earned his Advanced Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration respectively – Julius is a seasoned technocrat with vast experience spanning over a decade in the public sector.
Energetic and enthusiastic; uncompromising, yet realistic; impossibility has no space in his lexicography. With just tenacity of purpose and a terrier devotion to his dreams, Julius has bestridden, successfully, the gap between creativity and commerce. As far as business ideas and innovations are concerned, he turns nothing down, except the collar of his shirt.
The story of his life is not as smooth as a bowling ball gliding on a varnished lane. It is the story of a young man who flailed and floundered against the maelstrom and headwind of a tempestuous home-grown economy but whose resilience and steadfastness kept on the straight and narrow path to fame and fortune. Rone emerged as a worthy recipient of such honour because his deeds and recurring success establish him as a man who challenged resolve with steely grit, and exploited the arduous planes of ambition and toil, till he encountered grandeur at the crossroads, where wild contemplation and hard work morph into triumph.
Philosophy
Virtues, according to him, should be, in the popular estimate, the rule guiding human conduct in business, social and political circuits rather than the exception. “A man is nothing without his virtues”, he argues. Thus he endeavours to do good. But his deeds are done not as an apology or extenuation of his fortune and citizenship of the world. While many rich men propagate virtues as penances for the inaction of the world’s privileged divide, Rone imbibes and perpetuates the culture of goodness out of an intrinsic part of his manliness.
Reports abound that despite his large heart, he has suffered untold betrayal by friends and staff. Yet, he does not harbour ill-will towards anyone. He forgives easily. Thus, he sets high standards, which he abides by as a matter of exemplary leadership and integrity of character. Therefore, it is not surprising that doing good comes naturally to him, which is why no amount of betrayal or backbiting would deter him from what he believes in.
Lessons on Enterprise, Fatherhood, Love
It’s understandable that Julius’ meteoric rise was unforeseen by many. In a society where success is often celebrated through short-lived triumphs, his journey stands as a beacon of resilience, foresight, and unwavering determination. Julius, from the beginning, steadfastly adhered to the principles of hard work and perseverance. Today, he savours the sweet blossom of his achievements, a testament to his enduring commitment. No matter the provocation or seeming humiliation, Julius never blows up bridges. He never fight to the finish because there’s always tomorrow—and since we cannot escape dealing with people, we must leave room for settlement. No matter what the conflict or rancor is about, Julius never forecloses the possibility of conciliation; he always leaves the door of resolution slightly ajar.
Julius’s compassionate nature extends beyond his personal interactions. His generosity knows no bounds, reaching out to family, friends, associates, and even strangers. He has dependable younger allies and cherishes the company of his close circle, regularly creating time for undiluted fun. When he wants something, he’s persistent, dogged, and resolute. He deploys all his resources, gives it his all, and waits patiently. While several other billionaires are engaged in a never-ending race to amass riches and guarantee their luxurious lifestyles, I see Julius labour to spread his wealth and comfort daily among kith and kin, or the next needy family on the block. I see him embark on a humanitarian odyssey like a poet and painter whose imagination is unclipped. It’s inspiring to see him paint picturesque scenes in lives severely marred by squalor; he encrusts bleakness in shiny varnish and seeks to mend small damaged lives here and there.
It’s inspiring to see him fulfill all fatherhood goals too. Many dads could learn a thing or two from this father of three fine ‘Warri’ boys. Despite his billionaire status and global commitments, he makes time for his children. He believes every father bears a fundamental obligation to be involved in their children’s lives not just when it’s convenient or easy, but also when it’s difficult and thankless. He supports all their endeavors, even cooking, dancing, and football tournaments, especially the Premier League in London, where he often flies to watch with them.
Happily married to Yutee Rone, it probably feels like she had him ordered and delivered to her, to be worshipped and revered. On this note, it may be said that Julius is Yutee’s idol. And this is where it gets interesting; Julius also considers Yutee a boon from God. He treasures her like a priceless heirloom – this explains his predilection to flaunt her like a sapphire-studded wristwatch or button hole bouquet to the world. His domestic felicity will continue to make younger couples run to him for tips on how to have a blissful, long-lasting marriage.
Indeed, knowing Julius up close is a privilege, an experience as enriching as the bloom of the most arduous endeavor. His charm and wit, though formidable, are tempered by a natural grace that draws people in. Those who have crossed paths with him share stories of joy and transformation, all thanks to Julius’enduring influence.
