President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded letters to the Senate seeking confirmation of 21 nominees for the boards of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mediaplusng.com reports.
For NUPRC, Senator Magnus Abe is nominated as board chairman. Abe previously represented Rivers South East in the Senate for two terms, served on the NNPC board, and currently chairs the National Agency of the Great Green Wall. Other nominees include Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi and Mr. Sunday Adebayo Babalola as non-executive commissioners. Executive commissioners nominated are Muhammed Sabo Lamido (finance), 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), Mahmood Tijani (health, safety and environment), and Ms. Olayemi Adeboyejo (secretary and legal adviser).
The NMDPRA board nominees include Mr. Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji as chairman, bringing over 30 years of experience in energy and natural resources, with prior roles at the World Bank and as adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum. Non-executive members include Chief Kenneth Kobani and Mrs. Asabe Ahmed. Executive directors nominated are Abiodun Adeniji (finance), Francis Ogaree (hydrocarbon), Oluwole Adama (midstream and downstream gas infrastructure), Dr. Mustapha Lamorde (corporate services), Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa (distribution systems), Adeyemi Murtala Aminu (corporate services), and Ms. Modie Ogechukwu (economic regulation and strategic planning). Barrister Olawale Dawodu is nominated as board secretary and legal adviser. Mediaplusng.com adds that some nominees are reappointments from previous administrations, while others are fresh appointments by President Tinubu.
The President urges the Senate to expedite confirmation to ensure the boards can fully support regulatory oversight and sector development. These nominations follow the recent Senate confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as NUPRC CEO and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as NMDPRA CEO.
President Tinubu has charged all appointees to execute their responsibilities professionally, emphasizing transparency, efficiency, and accountability in regulating Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
