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In February 2008, Peters rebranded Sigmund Communecci to [[Aiteo]] Group.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Rise of Nigerian Oil and Gas Companies|url=http://arabanticorruption.org/article/24495/The-Rise-of-Nigerian-Oil-and-Gas-Companies|website=Arab Anti-Corruption Organization|publisher=Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org)|accessdate=8 February 2016}}</ref> The company owns one of the largest petroleum tank farms in Nigeria with facilities in excess of more than 250 million liters on over 100,000 square meters of landmass<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/benedict-peters-aiteo-group-leading-the-charge-for-african-energy/|title=Benedict Peter's Aiteo Group leading the charge for African energy|last=Thanapathy|first=Shanaka|date=2017-10-03|work=The South African|access-date=2017-10-30|language=en-US}}</ref> It also owns and operates the Abonnema Storage Terminal.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Awaji|first1=Justus|title=Compensation: Rumuwoji, Abonnema Wharf Residents Sing Discordant Tunes.|url=http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2011/07/03/compensation-rumuwoji-abonnema-wharf-residents-sing-discordant-tunes/|website=The Tide|publisher=The Tide Newspaper Corporation|accessdate=8 February 2016}}</ref>
In February 2008, Peters rebranded Sigmund Communecci to [[Aiteo]] Group.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Rise of Nigerian Oil and Gas Companies|url=http://arabanticorruption.org/article/24495/The-Rise-of-Nigerian-Oil-and-Gas-Companies|website=Arab Anti-Corruption Organization|publisher=Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org)|accessdate=8 February 2016}}</ref> The company owns one of the largest petroleum tank farms in Nigeria with facilities in excess of more than 250 million liters on over 100,000 square meters of landmass<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/benedict-peters-aiteo-group-leading-the-charge-for-african-energy/|title=Benedict Peter's Aiteo Group leading the charge for African energy|last=Thanapathy|first=Shanaka|date=2017-10-03|work=The South African|access-date=2017-10-30|language=en-US}}</ref> It also owns and operates the Abonnema Storage Terminal.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Awaji|first1=Justus|title=Compensation: Rumuwoji, Abonnema Wharf Residents Sing Discordant Tunes.|url=http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2011/07/03/compensation-rumuwoji-abonnema-wharf-residents-sing-discordant-tunes/|website=The Tide|publisher=The Tide Newspaper Corporation|accessdate=8 February 2016}}</ref>


In 2014, Aiteo acquired a controlling stake in [[OML29|Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29]] and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) in the Eastern Niger Delta from Royal Dutch Shell Plc.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nandakumar|first1=Abhiram|title=Shell completes sale of OML 29, Nembe Creek pipeline in Nigeria|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/shell-divestiture-nigeria-idUSL3N0WR4PU20150325|accessdate=19 February 2016|work=Reuters|publisher=Thomson Reuters|date=25 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Alike|first1=Ejiofor|title=NNPC, Shell, Aiteo Conclude Sale of OML 29, Nembe Creek Trunkline|url=http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nnpc-shell-aiteo-conclude-sale-of-oml-29-nembe-creek-trunkline/205059/|accessdate=19 February 2016|work=ThisDay Newspapers|publisher=Leaders & Company Limited|date=26 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706234515/http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nnpc-shell-aiteo-conclude-sale-of-oml-29-nembe-creek-trunkline/205059/|archive-date=6 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to [[Wood Mackenzie]], OML 29 is a large block located in the southeastern Niger Delta with "11 oil and gas fields."<ref>{{cite web|title=OML 29|url=http://www.woodmac.com/reports/upstream-oil-and-gas-oml-29-12385691|website=Wood Mackenzie|accessdate=19 February 2016}}</ref> The 983-square-kilometer OML 29, onshore in the Niger Delta, is the site of Nigeria's first-ever commercial discovery — in 1956 at the [[Oloibiri Oilfield]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Nigerian banks took key role in Aiteo deal|url=http://www.theoilandgasyear.com/news/nigerian-banks-took-key-role-in-aiteo-deal/|website=The Oil and Gas Year|publisher=The Oil & Gas Year Limited|accessdate=19 February 2016}}</ref>
In 2014, Aiteo acquired a controlling stake in [[OML29|Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29]] and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) in the Eastern Niger Delta from Royal Dutch Shell Plc.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nandakumar|first1=Abhiram|title=Shell completes sale of OML 29, Nembe Creek pipeline in Nigeria|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/shell-divestiture-nigeria-idUSL3N0WR4PU20150325|accessdate=19 February 2016|work=Reuters|publisher=Thomson Reuters|date=25 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Alike|first1=Ejiofor|title=NNPC, Shell, Aiteo Conclude Sale of OML 29, Nembe Creek Trunkline|url=http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nnpc-shell-aiteo-conclude-sale-of-oml-29-nembe-creek-trunkline/205059/|accessdate=19 February 2016|work=ThisDay Newspapers|publisher=Leaders & Company Limited|date=26 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706234515/http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nnpc-shell-aiteo-conclude-sale-of-oml-29-nembe-creek-trunkline/205059/|archive-date=6 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to [[Wood Mackenzie]], OML 29 is a large block located in the southeastern Niger Delta with "11 oil and gas fields."<ref>{{cite web|title=OML 29|url=http://www.woodmac.com/reports/upstream-oil-and-gas-oml-29-12385691|website=Wood Mackenzie|accessdate=19 February 2016}}</ref> The 983-square-kilometer OML 29, onshore in the Niger Delta, is the site of Nigeria's first-ever commercial discovery — in 1956 at the [[Oloibiri Oilfield]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Nigerian banks took key role in Aiteo deal|url=http://www.theoilandgasyear.com/news/nigerian-banks-took-key-role-in-aiteo-deal/|website=The Oil and Gas Year|publisher=The Oil & Gas Year Limited|accessdate=19 February 2016}}</ref> Aiteo is also set to build a 100,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in oil-rich Warri in Delta State.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aiteo to build 100,000bpd refinery in Warri |url=http://energymixreport.com/aiteo-to-build-100000bpd-refinery-in-warri/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027181232/http://energymixreport.com/aiteo-to-build-100000bpd-refinery-in-warri/ |archive-date=27 October 2016 |accessdate=21 February 2016 |website=Energy Mix Report |publisher=The Energy Mix (Nigeria) Limited}}</ref>


In November 2023, Aiteo recorded a historic milestone in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector when it launched a new grade of crude called Nembe through a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-12 |title=Stakeholders Laud NNPC/Aiteo JV Nembe Crude Oil Grade Launch |url=https://thewillnews.com/stakeholders-laud-nnpc-aiteo-jv-nembe-crude-oil-grade-launch/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |language=en-US}}</ref> The Nembe crude oil grade has a low sulphur content and low carbon footprint due to flare gas elimination, which meets the required specifications of major buyers in Europe. The Nembe crude stream will be managed and marketed by a joint venture between NNPC and Aiteo Eastern E&P Co. Ltd. It is the first such crude marketing project solely run by Nigerian entities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-12 |title=Stakeholders Laud NNPC/Aiteo JV Nembe Crude Oil Grade Launch |url=https://thewillnews.com/stakeholders-laud-nnpc-aiteo-jv-nembe-crude-oil-grade-launch/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |language=en-US}}</ref>
Peters has rapidly diversified Aiteo Group with his founding of Aiteo Power, where he serves as chairman.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Marks|first1=Dan|title=Another step forward for the power sector as international investors bide their time|journal=African Energy|date=10 April 2014|issue=275|page=2|url=http://www.dentons.com/~/media/PDFs/Insights/2014/April/AENigeriaPower275Apr14.pdf|accessdate=19 February 2016}}</ref> He leads the Aiteo Consortium and EMA Consortium, which have won separate bids to acquire three power-generating companies,<ref>{{cite web|title=NIPP Transaction – Preferred Bidders|url=http://www.nipptransactions.com/nipp-transaction-preferred-bidders/|website=NIPP Transactions|publisher=Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited|accessdate=11 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905011544/http://www.nipptransactions.com/nipp-transaction-preferred-bidders/|archive-date=5 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and is set to build a 100,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in oil-rich Warri in Delta State.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aiteo to build 100,000bpd refinery in Warri|url=http://energymixreport.com/aiteo-to-build-100000bpd-refinery-in-warri/|website=Energy Mix Report|publisher=The Energy Mix (Nigeria) Limited|accessdate=21 February 2016|archive-date=27 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027181232/http://energymixreport.com/aiteo-to-build-100000bpd-refinery-in-warri/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Peters has rapidly diversified Aiteo Group by founding Aiteo Power, where he serves as chairman.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Marks |first1=Dan |date=10 April 2014 |title=Another step forward for the power sector as international investors bide their time |url=http://www.dentons.com/~/media/PDFs/Insights/2014/April/AENigeriaPower275Apr14.pdf |journal=African Energy |issue=275 |page=2 |accessdate=19 February 2016}}</ref> He also leads the Aiteo Consortium and EMA Consortium, which have won separate bids to acquire three power-generating companies.<ref>{{cite web |title=NIPP Transaction – Preferred Bidders |url=http://www.nipptransactions.com/nipp-transaction-preferred-bidders/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905011544/http://www.nipptransactions.com/nipp-transaction-preferred-bidders/ |archive-date=5 September 2014 |accessdate=11 February 2016 |website=NIPP Transactions |publisher=Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited}}</ref>


Peters is also the founder and CEO of Bravura Holdings, a vertically integrated mining company developing gold, copper, lithium, and steel assets in countries throughout the African continent, including [[Ghana]], [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Zambia]], [[Nigeria]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[Namibia]], and [[South Africa]]. In 2019, Bravura acquired a 3,000-hectare concession for a [[platinum]] mine in Selous, located 80 kilometers south of [[Harare]], Zimbabwe’s capital. The company also owns a sprawling [[lithium]] deposit in [[Kamativi]], a small mining town in [[Zimbabwe]], concessions for [[cobalt]] mines in the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[copper]] mines in [[Zambia]], and [[gold]] mines in [[Ghana]], as well as a diversified portfolio of mining assets in [[Mozambique]], [[Cote d'Ivoire]], [[Sierra Leone]], and [[Guinea Bissau]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2023/08/13/oil-tycoon-benny-peters-plans-to-explore-the-world|title=Oil Tycoon, Benny Peters, Plans to Explore the World
Peters is also the founder and CEO of Bravura Holdings, a vertically integrated mining company developing gold, copper, lithium, and steel assets in countries throughout the African continent, including [[Ghana]], [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Zambia]], [[Nigeria]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[Namibia]], and [[South Africa]]. In 2019, Bravura acquired a 3,000-hectare concession for a [[platinum]] mine in Selous, located 80 kilometers south of [[Harare]], Zimbabwe’s capital. The company also owns a sprawling [[lithium]] deposit in [[Kamativi]], a small mining town in [[Zimbabwe]], concessions for [[cobalt]] mines in the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[copper]] mines in [[Zambia]], and [[gold]] mines in [[Ghana]], as well as a diversified portfolio of mining assets in [[Mozambique]], [[Cote d'Ivoire]], [[Sierra Leone]], and [[Guinea Bissau]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2023/08/13/oil-tycoon-benny-peters-plans-to-explore-the-world|title=Oil Tycoon, Benny Peters, Plans to Explore the World
|website=www.thisdaylive.com|language=en|access-date=2023-09-06}}</ref>
|website=www.thisdaylive.com|language=en|access-date=2023-09-06}}</ref>


==Awards and philanthropy==
Aiteo Group announced the signing of a five-year partnership agreement with the [[Nigeria Football Federation]] in April 2017, worth an estimated N2.9 billion naira ($3.8 million).<ref name="nff boost">{{cite news|last1= Okeleji |first1= Oluwashina |title=The Nigeria Football Federation gets financial boost|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39719904|accessdate=28 April 2017|work=BBC News|date=26 April 2017}}</ref> In its capacity as the NFF Official Optimum Partner, Aiteo provided financial support that funded the salaries of [[Nigeria national football team|Super Eagles]] boss [[Gernot Rohr]] and the coaches of all NFF national teams. Peters told the media that "Aiteo Group is as passionate about leadership as Nigerians are about football,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/benedict-peters-ahmad-ahmad-two-leaders-one-vision-african-football/|title=Benedict Peters, Ahmad Ahmad: Two leaders with one vision for African football - Vanguard News|date=2017-11-16|work=Vanguard News|access-date=2017-12-05|language=en-US}}</ref> so we are proud to be working together with the NFF and its coaching staff to reach a shared goal of a more prosperous Nigeria."<ref name="nff boost"/>


Peters and his wife, Ella, are the founders of the Benedict & Ella Peters Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Benedict & Ella Peters Foundation |url=http://www.be-foundation.org/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=www.be-foundation.org}}</ref> The non-profit organization is dedicated to fighting the inequalities and hardships of the underprivileged across Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ajayi |first=Omokolade |date=2023-09-28 |title=7 companies owned by billionaire African energy mogul Benedict Peters |url=https://billionaires.africa/2023/09/28/7-companies-owned-by-african-billionaire-benedict-peters/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=Billionaires.Africa |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Awards==


Peters was one of four recipients of the Marquee Award for Global Business Excellence at the Africa-U.S. Leadership Awards Dinner on August 5, 2014 in Washington, D.C.,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mariama-Arthur|first1=Karima|title=Bridging the Intercontinental Leadership Divide: African Energy Association to Host Inaugural Dinner|url=http://www.cbcfinc.org/village/bridging-the-intercontinental-leadership-divide-african-energy-association-to-host-inaugural-african-us-leadership-awards-dinner/|website=Congressional Black Caucus Foundation|publisher=Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc|accessdate=8 February 2016}}</ref> hosted by the African Energy Association, a non-profit energy industry organization.<ref>{{cite web|title=About us|url=http://www.africanenergyassociation.org/|website=African Energy Association|accessdate=19 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312100154/http://www.africanenergyassociation.org/|archive-date=12 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Peters was one of four recipients of the Marquee Award for Global Business Excellence at the Africa-U.S. Leadership Awards Dinner on August 5, 2014 in Washington, D.C.,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mariama-Arthur|first1=Karima|title=Bridging the Intercontinental Leadership Divide: African Energy Association to Host Inaugural Dinner|url=http://www.cbcfinc.org/village/bridging-the-intercontinental-leadership-divide-african-energy-association-to-host-inaugural-african-us-leadership-awards-dinner/|website=Congressional Black Caucus Foundation|publisher=Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc|accessdate=8 February 2016}}</ref> hosted by the African Energy Association, a non-profit energy industry organization.<ref>{{cite web|title=About us|url=http://www.africanenergyassociation.org/|website=African Energy Association|accessdate=19 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312100154/http://www.africanenergyassociation.org/|archive-date=12 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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In 2019, [[Business Day (Nigeria)|''BusinessDay'']] also named Peters "Man of the Year."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://businessday.ng/opinion/article/benedict-peters-two-decades-of-leadership-excellence-in-africa/|title=Benedict Peters: Two Decades of Leadership Excellence in Africa |first=Epa |last=Stevens |date=December 28, 2019 |website=[[Business Day (Nigeria)|Business Day]]}}</ref>
In 2019, [[Business Day (Nigeria)|''BusinessDay'']] also named Peters "Man of the Year."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://businessday.ng/opinion/article/benedict-peters-two-decades-of-leadership-excellence-in-africa/|title=Benedict Peters: Two Decades of Leadership Excellence in Africa |first=Epa |last=Stevens |date=December 28, 2019 |website=[[Business Day (Nigeria)|Business Day]]}}</ref>

In April 2017, Aiteo Group announced the signing of a five-year partnership agreement with the [[Nigeria Football Federation]], worth an estimated N2.9 billion naira ($3.8 million).<ref name="nff boost">{{cite news |last1=Okeleji |first1=Oluwashina |date=26 April 2017 |title=The Nigeria Football Federation gets financial boost |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39719904 |accessdate=28 April 2017}}</ref> In its capacity as the NFF Official Optimum Partner, Aiteo provided financial support that funded the salaries of [[Nigeria national football team|Super Eagles]] boss [[Gernot Rohr]] and the coaches of all NFF national teams. Peters told the media that "Aiteo Group is as passionate about leadership as Nigerians are about football,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-11-16 |title=Benedict Peters, Ahmad Ahmad: Two leaders with one vision for African football - Vanguard News |language=en-US |work=Vanguard News |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/benedict-peters-ahmad-ahmad-two-leaders-one-vision-african-football/ |access-date=2017-12-05}}</ref> so we are proud to be working together with the NFF and its coaching staff to reach a shared goal of a more prosperous Nigeria."<ref name="nff boost" />


==Personal life==
==Personal life==

Revision as of 11:53, 13 November 2023

Benedict Peters
Born
Benedict Peters

December 1966
Nigeria
EducationGeography and Regional Planning, Majoring in Geomorphology
Alma materUniversity of Benin, Benin
Occupation(s)Founder and CEO, Aiteo Group, Bravura Holdings
Children5
Websitewww.peters.ng

Benedict Peters is an African billionaire businessman with extensive assets in the oil and gas and mining industries.[1] He is the founder and CEO of Aiteo Group, Nigeria's largest indigenous oil producer, and Bravura Holdings, a vertically integrated mining company developing platinum, lithium, steel, copper, and gold assets in countries throughout Africa, including Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, and South Africa.[2] His estimated net worth as of November 2014 was $2.7 billion.[3] Ventures Africa ranked Peters as the 17th richest person in Africa and the seventh richest in Nigeria.[4] He is a born again Christian and a prominent financier of the gospel of Jesus Christ.[5]

Early life and development

Peters was born in Nigeria to a bank manager and a homemaker.[6]

He attended Ekulu Primary School, Enugu, and Federal Government College Enugu.

Peters graduated with honors from the University of Benin with a bachelor of science degree in geography and regional planning, majoring in geomorphology.[7]

Career

Peters began his career in the oil and gas industry in the early 1990s at Ocean and Oil Services Limited.[8] He moved to MRS Oil and Gas Limited as group executive director, ending as managing director, before leaving to establish Sigmund Communecci in 1999.[9]

In February 2008, Peters rebranded Sigmund Communecci to Aiteo Group.[10] The company owns one of the largest petroleum tank farms in Nigeria with facilities in excess of more than 250 million liters on over 100,000 square meters of landmass[11] It also owns and operates the Abonnema Storage Terminal.[12]

In 2014, Aiteo acquired a controlling stake in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) in the Eastern Niger Delta from Royal Dutch Shell Plc.[13][14] According to Wood Mackenzie, OML 29 is a large block located in the southeastern Niger Delta with "11 oil and gas fields."[15] The 983-square-kilometer OML 29, onshore in the Niger Delta, is the site of Nigeria's first-ever commercial discovery — in 1956 at the Oloibiri Oilfield.[16] Aiteo is also set to build a 100,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in oil-rich Warri in Delta State.[17]

In November 2023, Aiteo recorded a historic milestone in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector when it launched a new grade of crude called Nembe through a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).[18] The Nembe crude oil grade has a low sulphur content and low carbon footprint due to flare gas elimination, which meets the required specifications of major buyers in Europe. The Nembe crude stream will be managed and marketed by a joint venture between NNPC and Aiteo Eastern E&P Co. Ltd. It is the first such crude marketing project solely run by Nigerian entities.[19]

Peters has rapidly diversified Aiteo Group by founding Aiteo Power, where he serves as chairman.[20] He also leads the Aiteo Consortium and EMA Consortium, which have won separate bids to acquire three power-generating companies.[21]

Peters is also the founder and CEO of Bravura Holdings, a vertically integrated mining company developing gold, copper, lithium, and steel assets in countries throughout the African continent, including Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa. In 2019, Bravura acquired a 3,000-hectare concession for a platinum mine in Selous, located 80 kilometers south of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital. The company also owns a sprawling lithium deposit in Kamativi, a small mining town in Zimbabwe, concessions for cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, copper mines in Zambia, and gold mines in Ghana, as well as a diversified portfolio of mining assets in Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Bissau.[22]

Awards and philanthropy

Peters and his wife, Ella, are the founders of the Benedict & Ella Peters Foundation.[23] The non-profit organization is dedicated to fighting the inequalities and hardships of the underprivileged across Africa.[24]

Peters was one of four recipients of the Marquee Award for Global Business Excellence at the Africa-U.S. Leadership Awards Dinner on August 5, 2014 in Washington, D.C.,[25] hosted by the African Energy Association, a non-profit energy industry organization.[26]

Leadership, a national newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria, named Peters "Leadership CEO of the Year 2014" for championing a local content deal that facilitated the engagement of Nigerian-owned companies in managing oil assets in his native country, Nigeria.[27][28][29][30]

On January 18, 2015, Peters was presented the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Legacy Award in the "Economic Empowerment" category at an event held at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C..[31]

BusinessDay, a national business and finance newspaper in Nigeria, ranked Peters among the "50 Most Influential Nigerians" in 2017.[32]

In June 2018, The Guardian (Nigeria), a mainstream national newspaper in Nigeria, named Peters "Oil and Gas CEO of the Year.[33][34][35]

In 2019, BusinessDay also named Peters "Man of the Year."[36]

In April 2017, Aiteo Group announced the signing of a five-year partnership agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation, worth an estimated N2.9 billion naira ($3.8 million).[37] In its capacity as the NFF Official Optimum Partner, Aiteo provided financial support that funded the salaries of Super Eagles boss Gernot Rohr and the coaches of all NFF national teams. Peters told the media that "Aiteo Group is as passionate about leadership as Nigerians are about football,[38] so we are proud to be working together with the NFF and its coaching staff to reach a shared goal of a more prosperous Nigeria."[37]

Personal life

Peters is married and has five children.[39]

He is a longtime supporter of democratic movements in Nigeria and globally. Peters continues to be a major donor to progressive political processes in Africa. This position has put him at odds with opposing political forces internally and externally, and resulted in politically charged investigations into his commercial dealings.

Peters was falsely accused in the Pandora Papers of bribing Nigerian oil official Diezani Alison-Madueke with overseas luxury real estate to secure favors with the Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum Resources.[40] Benedict denied the allegations.[41]

In 2017, the Appeal Court of Nigeria ordered the immediate lift of an interim forfeiture order on Peters' properties in the UK, which had earlier been obtained by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court accused the EFCC of "gross misstatements, concealment and misrepresentation of facts."[42]

In early November 2023, the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR), a pan-African civil society group, lodged a petition with Nigeria's House of Representatives, demanding a comprehensive legislative investigation into the "defamation and undermining of Nigerian businessman Benedict Peters."[43]

According to the petition, which was presented on behalf of the civil society organization by Kaduna State Member of the House of Representatives Aliyu Mustapha Abdullahi, British officials and investigative agencies repeatedly "disregarded rulings from Nigerian courts and engaged in actions aimed at undermining court decisions that vindicated Benedict Peters."[44]

Through the petition, the ACJHR seeks to "compel the British government to stop undermining Nigeria’s judicial sovereignty and the judgments rendered by competent Nigerian courts."[45]

The House of Representatives adopted the petition and is expected to launch an inquiry in mid-November.[46]

References

  1. ^ Mining in Africa, 5 April 2016. Retrieved on 2 April 2017
  2. ^ Business Day Online "Five fascinating business facts – Part 8" Archived 6 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine, Business Day Newspaper, 13 March 2017. Retrieved on 2 April 2017
  3. ^ Ventures Africa "Nigeria's Four Newest Billionaires", Ventures Africa, 12 November 2014. Retrieved on 2 April 2017
  4. ^ Ventures Africa "The Richest People in Africa" Archived 17 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Ventures Africa, 11 November 2014. Retrieved on 2 April 2017
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