Delborough Lagos, the acclaimed luxury hospitality brand, has strengthened its corporate leadership with the appointment of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Professor Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, to its board of directors.
The strategic appointment was formally confirmed during the company's annual board meeting, which was presided over by His Royal Majesty, Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe.
Distinguished Career and Qualifications
Professor Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu brings an impressive portfolio of experience to the Delborough Lagos board. His distinguished career includes serving as President of both the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the African Petroleum Producers' Organisation (APPO).
He previously held the position of Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and served as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). His international experience includes roles as Executive Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil Africa and General Counsel for Texaco's upstream and downstream operations in Nigeria.
Academically, Kachikwu graduated with first-class honors in law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he was recognized as the best graduating student. He repeated this academic excellence at the Nigerian Law School before obtaining master's and doctorate degrees in law from Harvard Law School.
Currently, he serves as a visiting professor at several international universities and provides consulting services to various African governments.
Board Expansion and Luxury Recognition
In addition to Kachikwu's appointment, Delborough Lagos inaugurated Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kelechi Nwaiwu, as the new Board Secretary. The chairman emphasized the significance of this appointment, stating that Delborough Lagos is the only corporate body with a Senior Advocate of Nigeria as Board Secretary.
The expanded board now includes other distinguished members such as Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, Usman Alkali Baba, Arc. Yemisi Suswam, Olajumoke Benson, Valentine Ozigbo, Matt Aikhionbare, and Linus Idahosa.
This leadership strengthening comes at a significant time for the company, which was recently honored with the Best New Luxury African Hospitality Brand award by the prestigious Seven Stars Award.
Kachikwu's Petroleum Sector Revelations
In a related development, during a September 2025 interview at a virtual mentorship program organized by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Kachikwu revealed notable insights from his tenure as petroleum minister.
He disclosed that former President Muhammadu Buhari had threatened to remove him from office if his attempts to adjust petrol prices during his tenure backfired. According to Kachikwu, the most urgent crisis he faced upon assuming office as NNPC GMD in 2015 was nationwide fuel scarcity.
Despite my efforts, much of the subsidised product was leaving the country illegally, and my office did not have the political or security capacity to stop it, he explained regarding the persistent fuel queues.
Kachikwu described facing stiff resistance from President Buhari when repeatedly requesting price review approvals due to the president's populist position. Eventually, he said, 'Okay, you know what? I'll leave you to take the risk. If it works, fine. If it doesn't work, I fire you,' Kachikwu recalled.
He introduced a price modulation system that adjusted pump prices based on global market trends, which he stated ended subsidies and cleared petrol queues within 48 hours. That singular price adjustment removed the subsidy. Within 48 hours, every queue in the country disappeared. It never happened again until I left office, he affirmed.
Kachikwu also revealed that he refused to authorize billions of naira in subsidy arrears claims due to transparency concerns. We didn't pay the arrears of subsidy because my position was that I could not audit the transparency of the subsidy claims, he stated.
Commenting on current energy policies, he acknowledged that President Bola Tinubu's removal of fuel subsidy was inevitable but emphasized that the policy should have been accompanied by clear plans for refineries, infrastructure, transporters, and oil-producing communities.
