The Team

Godfrey Etikerentse

Legal Advisor, Africa

Mr. Etikerentse now practices law in Lagos, with a focus on petroleum law and its taxation. Mr. Godfrey Etikerentse is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and a Guarantor member of the Petroleum Club, Lagos.


Mr. Godfrey Etikerentse is a 1964 Honours, Bachelor of Laws graduate of the University of London, UK and was called to the English Bar in June of the same year as a member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, London. Was enrolled as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in early May 1965. Joined Gulf Oil Company Nigeria Limited (the predecessor of Chevron Nigeria Limited) in April 1966 and was later posted in 1981 to the Law Department of the Houston and Pittsburgh U.S.A. offices of Gulf Oil Corporation. Upon return to Nigeria, he was made Chevron's General Counsel and Company Secretary in January 1983. In June 1988.

Mr. Etikerentse became the first Nigerian to be made an executive director of Chevron and was later appointed a director of two other Chevron subsidiaries in Nigeria. Mr. Etikerentse served in the positions of director and General Counsel of Chevron Nigeria Limited until his retirement from the company on December 31, 1995. He however remained on Chevron's Board till June 30, 1999. Mr. Etikerentse is also an alumnus of the Academy of American and International Law at the International and Comparative Law Centre, Southwestern Legal Foundation, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. Was appointed in 1994 by the New York based African-American Institute as one of the international observers who monitored South Africa's first all race elections. He successfully completed that assignment when the international observers' report was presented in Johannesburg in May 1994, leading to Mr. Nelson Mandela's Presidency.

He is the author of the very first book (Nigerian Petroleum Law) touching on the law and practice of Nigeria's petroleum industry – published in 1985 by Macmillan U.K. The book's second edition (also written by him) was presented to the public on 9th November 2004 with a re-print in 2006. The book is widely used in Nigerian universities and by companies in the petroleum upstream sector for reference and guidance.