Chief Godwin Aretanekhai Adams more popularly known as Aret Adams is one of the Momoh descendants who distinguished himself in the oil sector and considerably shaped policies governing the operations of the oil sector in the country. He was born on the 27^th of February 1938 to the child of the third Ogbaichi of Auchi (Rametu Adams, neé Momoh) and Adams from Ikabigbo, Edo State of Nigeria.

Aret Adams was educated at Edo College from 1952 to 1957, then University College (now University of Ibadan) from 1958 to 1960 before winning a scholarship to the University of Glasgow in Aberdeen, Scotland where he studied Geology from 1960 t0 1964.

Adams had a long and rewarding career in the oil industry, beginning his career in Shell-British Petroleum in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State of Nigeria and later Warri, Delta State of Nigeria from 1964 to 1974 working as a well-site petroleum engineer, production geologist, petrophysicist and senior operations engineer before joining the Nigerian National Oil Company (NNOC), progenitor of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a senior petroleum engineer. Aret Adams rose through the ranks of the NNOC, and when it metamorphosed into the NNPC, Adams was appointed Group Managing Director in November 1985. He held the position until April 1990.

A thoroughbred professional, Adams shaped the oil industry in Nigeria when he single-handedly formulated the National Oil Policy that was presented to the federal government in April 1980, which led to the successful execution of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) project in 1989.

On his retirement from NNPC, Adams went into private business until he was brought back to public service when he served as the special adviser to the Head of State, General Abdusalam Abubakar from June 1998 to May 1999.

In recognition of his commitment to excellence, outstanding contribution to shaping the oil industry in Nigeria and his involvement in the professional community, the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE, the umbrella body of oil industry professionals in Nigeria) instituted the Aret Adams Award as the highest award bestowed by the association. The Shell Petroleum Development Company instituted the joint SPDC JV Aret Adams Professorial Chair in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt.

Aret Adams passed on the 7^th of August 2002 at 64.