In a major move to fortify Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory framework, President Bola Tinubu has reconstituted the governing boards of the nation’s two primary oil and gas regulators.
In two separate letters transmitted to the Senate on Monday, the President sought the expedited 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).
Leading the list for the NUPRC is Magnus Abe, a two-term former senator for Rivers South-East and an industry veteran.
READ ALSO: FG denies AI claims over Tinubu–Kagame photo
Abe, who previously served on the NNPC board, is the current chairman of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall.
Also nominated as Non-Executive Commissioners are Paul Yaro Jezhi and Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former deputy director at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
The Executive Commissioners nominated are Muhammed Lamido for Finance, Edu Inyang for Exploration and Acreage, Justin Ezeala for Economic Regulation, Henry Oki for Development and Production, Indabawa Alka for Corporate Services, Mahmood Tijani for Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), and Olayemi Adeboyejo, who will serve as Secretary and Legal Adviser.
The list reflects a mix of continuity and fresh expertise, retaining some appointees from the previous administration while introducing new specialists like Justin Ezeala, the former MD of Nigerian Gas Marketing Limited.
For the NMDPRA, the President nominated Adegbite Adeniji, a legal luminary with over 30 years of experience in energy and natural resources as chairman.
Adeniji previously advised the World Bank on Nigeria’s petroleum sector restructuring and the development of the Strategic Gas Plan.
The non-executive members are Kenneth Kobani, a former Minister of State for Trade, and Asabe Ahmed.
The proposed executive directors are Abiodun Adeniji (Finance), Francis Ogaree (Hydrocarbon), Oluwole Adama (Gas Infrastructure), Mustapha Lamorde (Corporate Services), Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa (Distribution Systems), Adeyemi Murtala Aminu (Corporate Services), and Modie Ogechukwu (Economic Regulation).
Barrister Olawale Dawodu was nominated to serve as Secretary and Legal Adviser to the Authority.
The board nominations follow the recent Senate confirmation of the agencies’ new Chief Executive Officers: Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan for the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed for the NMDPRA.
READ ALSO: Tinubu orders military manhunt for terrorists behind Niger massacre
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu charged all nominees to discharge their duties with the highest level of professionalism.
He emphasised that as regulators, their role is pivotal to the successful implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the long-term stability of Nigeria’s energy sector.
For more details, visit New Daily Prime at www.newdailyprime.news
