Effortlessly, Julius Rone, OFR, the head honcho of Nigerian energy conglomerate, owners of Nigeria’s first Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG), who is fondly called 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, conferred on him the National Honours in the rank of OFR (Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic) in 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 volatile industries.
Julius Rone is now revered at home and recognised abroad for his protean productivity and impeccable business foresight, spotting goldmines where many see landmines.
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.
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.
Interestingly, Rone has won the Oil and Gas Personality Award in the Daily Independent Newspapers Year 2023 Awards.The award, which was conferred on Dr. Rone at a ceremony held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos, last weekend, was in recognition of his revolutionary contributions to the development of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria nay Africa.
Describing the award as a spur to redouble his efforts, Rone reiterated his commitment towards the growth and expansion of the national gas productivity. He stated that the commitment was the driving force behind the groundbreaking initiatives of his company especially the establishment of the UTM Floating Liquified Natural Gas (UTM FLNG), the first floating liquefied natural gas company in Nigeria.
He said that when completed, the UTM FLNG is expected to advance the national economy by producing an annual 1.5 million tons of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) for export, 300,000 metric tonnes for domestic market, while creating thousands of jobs and investment opportunities in Nigeria.
“I thank the Daily Independent Newspapers because this Award is a reminder and confirmation that one’s efforts and contributions towards national development are being recognized.
“This Award serves as a spur to do more in the interest of our nation and humanity and our company remains committed towards the growth and expansion of the national gas productivity in the quest to achieve the desired capacity for export as well as ensure availability and affordability for the domestic market,” Rone said.
Stating that his company has moved to the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation and Commissioning (EPCIC) stage after obtaining all necessary approvals, Rone added that the required international standards were being adhered to at all levels of the project.
The UTM boss commended President Bola Tinubu for ensuring that UTM continues to receive the necessary government backing to guarantee the success of the project.
“More importantly, I appreciate and commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for encouraging private investment in developing the nation’s gas resources. President Tinubu’s commitment towards the Decade of Gas policy has massively enhanced private sectors participation by boosting investors’ confidence in the gas industry,” he said.
The UTM MD urged private entrepreneurs in the country to take more advantage of the policies of the current administration towards investments in critical sectors of the economy.
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.
Interestingly, 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. Julius Dediare Rone, conveniently exudes all of that, thus his ascension to the top of the oil industry’s greasy pole.
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 when he headed to Ile-Ife to study Business Administration for his first degree. The fact remains that he embarked on that cerebral exploration to fulfil his yearning for a degree. 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 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 waters, 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.
However, 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.
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.
