Dr. Iseli is a celebrated Nigerian flautist with cross-cultural Itsekiri and Swiss roots. He combined his first degree in economics from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, with a specialisation in classical music concert performance and philharmonic composition from the University of Lausanne.

In his colourful and successful music career spanning over 40 years, Omatshola formed numerous bands, including Tee Mac and Afro Collection in the 1970s. He recorded his first LP, United, with Polydor International in Germany with his European band Tee Mac United in the late 1970s. He worked with celebrated Welsh-Nigerian singer Shirley Bassey as her musical arranger and conductor, and also worked as a composer for Cidi Croft Enterprise and later for Universal Films in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Though Omatshola spent a lot of time touring across the globe (the Far-East, Latin America, Europe, North America and South Africa), he invested in Nigerian initiatives, becoming one of the pioneers of the Classical Music Society of Nigeria, which eventually founded the Muson Centre – Nigeria’s foremost music school.

In 2007 Omatshola was elected president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), investing time and energy to help develop the Nigerian entertainment industry. In 2009 he was appointed the Nigerian director of the Motherland Group, (initiated by Michael Jackson’s brother – Marlon). In 2011 he was elected chairman of FAMECorp, owned by top Nigerian Musicians and Nollywood stars, to build cinema theatres and concert halls across Nigeria.

In 2009, for his vital role in brokering peace with the Niger Delta militants and fighting for their rehabilitation, Omatshola was awarded the Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) national honour by Nigeria’s President Yar’adua. In 2011 he received an honorary doctorate degree in Arts from Bradley University in Illinois, where he serves as chairman of the board of trustees, and teaches philharmonic composition as visiting associate professor. He is chairman of Tee Mac Petroleum (Nig) Ltd., chairman of Tee Mac Productions (owns a recording studio), chairman of the board of the Tee Mac-HEMLA Foundation (to build music schools for the underprivileged youths of Nigeria).

Unassuming and unfettered, Dr. Iseli has a keen interest in and strong passion for meaningful sustainable development initiatives. On the environmental front he is active in the Ogoni clean up campaign, a leader in the Bonga oil spill case and the coordinator of a consortium for the clean up of the Nigerian Delta. Dr. Iseli welcome to ECL.