Biography of HRH 14th Emir of Lere
Engr. Suleiman Umaru
His Highness Engr. Suleiman Umaru Lere was born in Lere on 7th February 1960 and is the eldest son of the 12th Emir of Lere, Late Alhaji Umaru Mohammed. He belongs to the lineage of Idrisu (2nd Sarkin Leren Zazzau), the son of the Fulanin Wunti Leader Mallam Muhammadu Dabo Titi, the first Sarkin Leren Zazzau. HRH Engr. Suleiman did is early qur’anic school at Lere before entering L. E. A Primary school Lere in 1966, which he completed in 1973. He then went to Government College Kaduna for his Secondary education before proceeding to School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria obtaining his IJMB Certificate in 1980. He got admitted to the Faculty of Engineering of ABU and graduated with B.Eng. Degree in Chemical Engineering in 1985. His Highness went back to ABU Zaria in the Faculty of Administration and bagged an MBA degree in 2002.
His Highness Engr. Suleiman started his working career at the NNPC Kaduna Refinery in 1986 as Chemical Engineer II rising to become Production Operation Superintendent in 1996 and Chief Chemical Engineer in 2002. He was Seconded by NNPC to Nigeria LNG Ltd in July 2002 to join the Expansion Project as Process/Commissioning Engineering team and participated in the successful delivery of the Train 3 LNG Liquefaction plant, and the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Refrigeration, Storage and Loading plants in 2004.
His Highness Engr Suleiman spent the better part of his remaining career at NLNG, leading several teams in Commissioning and start-up, Technology Advisor, Engineering & Design, and Project Management/Development. He was the Chief Engineer/Senior Process Engineer for the Trains 4&5 project between 2004 and 2006, and subsequently the Snr process Technologist for the between 2006 and 2009. Between 2009 and 2011, he went on cross-posting to Shell Projects & Technology, Malaysia, where he was the LNG Process Engineer, Asia Pacific Region, concurrently holding the position of Technical Focal Point for technical services to LNG projects in Russia and Australia.
Based on his vast exposure and experience, on return to Nigeria in November 2011, His Highness was appointed as Head, Process and Utilities Development & Integration of NLNG with added responsibility of coordinating the NLNG Shareholders Technical Advisory Committee. In February 2016, he was briefly recalled back to NNPC Corporate Headquarters, Gas & Power Directorate as Manager, NLNG Governance at the LNG Investment Management Services (LIMS) subsidiary, where he also leveraged on his extensive knowledge on LNG project development where he supported initiatives for new LNG ventures.
In April 2016, he returned to NLNG as Manager, Expansion Coordination with the onerous task of reinvigorating the lingering Train 7 Project, a critical and strategic project that has been in development for more than a decade. Within a few years, His Highness Engr Suleiman worked assiduously with other stakeholders to repackage the project into an attractive business proposition with global competitiveness. On the verge of the project sanctioning, Engr Suleiman was promoted and posted to National Engineering and Technical Company Limited (NETCO), another NNPC subsidiary as Executive Director Operations in February 2019.
However, owing to his critical role in the NLNG Train 7 Project, he was reposted back to NLNG as General Manager Expansion Project. In December 2019, HH Engr Suleiman and his team secured approval of the critical Conditions Precedent for sanctioning the project, which includes conclusion of Gas Supply Agreements (GSAs), Project Financing, Sales and Purchase Agreements (SPAs), and a competitive EPC consortium selection, This paved way for Final Investment Decision (FID) approval by NLNG shareholders for the Train7 project in December 2019, a multi-billion dollars project that will increase the production capacity of the complex by 35%. Engr Suleiman statutorily retired from the services of NNPC having attained the age of 60 years on 7th February 2020.
Over his distinguished career across Asia, Europe and Africa, HRH Suleiman led multi-disciplinary teams across diverse cultures. He is renowned for his professionalism and excellent leadership capabilities in every position he has held. He received several awards and commendations during his distinguished career including the NLNG Managing Director special recognition and commendation award for the role and contribution to successful and landmark start-up of Trains4/5 with global benchmark on schedule and costs. He was also recently honoured by the Faculty of Engineering Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and the Nigerian Society of Engineers with a recognition award for his firm contribution to the Engineering profession.
His Highness attended several courses and training in Nigeria and abroad including the USAID/IEE Refinery Energy Conservation Programme held at Pittsburgh, USA in 1990, Heavy oil treatment processes JCCP, Tokyo Japan (2002), Shell Safety in Process Design Course, Bonny Island (2004), Distillation and Process Control, Shell Global Solutions, The Hague, Netherlands (2006). Petroleum Economics Course, EIS Lagos (2007), Shell Pipeline Masterclass programme in Malaysia (2010), Shell Lean Practitioner course in Malaysia (2011) and the prestigious INSEAD Business School Leadership Successful Change Programme in Singapore (2018), amongst several others. He also presented professional papers in conferences and seminars in Nigeria and across the continents of Africa, Europe, Asia, Middle East, and North America.
His Highness Suleiman is a distinguished member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (MNSE), member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and member of Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (MNSChE). His Highness has been very active in several community development and charity projects including being a founding member of the Lere Educational Foundation and Chairman of the Education Committee of NLNG Muslim Ummah, Bonny Island. He is always keen on supporting the advancement of education of the less privileged and contribute to spreading of knowledge wherever he finds himself.
In recognition of his immense contributions to the advancement of Lere emirate and community development in general, he was turbaned as the Wamban Lere in 2004 and then later elevated to the rank of Madakin Lere in 2015. His Highness Engr. Suleiman is known for his passion for innovation and drive to add value to organisations and society. Upon retirement, HRH ventured into activities spanning Agribusiness, Energy resource, ICT and Engineering and Design Services. His Highness Co-Founder Lere Energy Resource Company Ltd and is also a Director at KAD ICT Hub/Telemax Engineering Services Ltd, PrimeTech Design & Engineering Services Limited and is the Chairman of Alfadlah Nigeria Limited.