President Bola Tinubu has forwarded two letters to the Senate, requesting confirmation of 21 nominees for leadership positions on the boards of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
NUPRC Board Leadership
In the first letter, President Tinubu nominated Senator Magnus Abe as chairman of the NUPRC board. Abe, a two-term senator representing Rivers South East, is a former NNPC board member and currently chairs the National Agency of the Great Green Wall.
Other nominees for the NUPRC board include Mr Paul Yaro Jezhi, former Trade Union Congress chairman in Kaduna, and Mr Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former deputy director at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). Both will serve as non-executive commissioners.
The president also proposed executive commissioners: Muhammed Sabo Lamido (finance), Mr Edu Inyang (exploration and acreage), Justin Ezeala (economic regulation and strategic planning), Henry Darlington Oki (development and production), Indabawa Bashari Alka (corporate services and administration), and Mahmood Tijani (health, safety and environment). Ms Olayemi Adeboyejo was nominated as secretary and legal adviser.
Notably, Lamido and Adeboyejo were first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, while Alka received his appointment from President Tinubu in 2023. The other executive members are new appointments by President Tinubu.
NMDPRA Board Leadership
In his second letter, President Tinubu nominated Mr Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji, an experienced lawyer with over 30 years in energy and natural resources, as chairman of NMDPRA. Adeniji previously served as special technical adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum on Upstream and Gas until 2018 and contributed to the World Bankโs Oil & Gas Policy team advising on sector reforms and Nigeriaโs Strategic Gas Plan. He is currently managing partner at ENR Advisory.
Other nominees for NMDPRA include Chief Kenneth Kobani and Mrs Asabe Ahmed as non-executive members. Kobani is a former minister of state for trade under President Goodluck Jonathan and former secretary to the Rivers State government under Governor Nyesom Wike.
Executive director positions on the NMDPRA board were also proposed: Abiodun Adeniji (finance), Francis Ogaree (hydrocarbon), Oluwole Adama (midstream and downstream gas infrastructure), and Dr Mustapha Lamorde (corporate services and administration). President Tinubu appointed Adama in 2024, while Adeniji, Ogaree, and Lamorde were previous appointments under Buhari. Additional board members include Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa (distribution systems), Adeyemi Murtala Aminu (corporate services), Ms Modie Ogechukwu (economic regulation and strategic planning), and Mr Olawale Dawodu as secretary and legal adviser.
Call for Senate Confirmation
President Tinubu urged the Senate to confirm the nominees promptly, emphasising that the appointees must discharge their duties professionally as regulators of Nigeriaโs oil and gas sectors. The nominations follow the recent confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Mr Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
โThe Senateโs expeditious approval will ensure that these regulatory bodies continue to drive efficiency, transparency, and growth in Nigeriaโs petroleum sector,โ the president said in the letters.
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