|By Babatunji Wusu
President Bola Tinubu has submitted 21 nominees to the Senate for confirmation to the boards of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The announcement was made Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In his letter for NUPRC, Tinubu nominated Senator Magnus Abe as chairman. 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 NUPRC nominees include Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi, former Trade Union Congress chairman in Kaduna, and Mr. Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former DPR deputy director, both set to serve as non-executive commissioners.
The President also proposed several executive commissioners for NUPRC: 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 Olayemi Adeboyejo as Secretary and Legal Adviser. Some nominees, including Lamido and Adeboyejo, were holdovers from former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, while Alka was appointed by Tinubu in 2023.
For NMDPRA, Tinubu nominated lawyer Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji as chairman. Adeniji brings over 30 years of experience in energy and natural resources, previously advising the government as Special Technical Adviser on upstream and gas matters, and working with the World Bank Oil & Gas Policy team.
Other NMDPRA nominees include Chief Kenneth Kobani and Mrs. Asabe Ahmed as non-executive members. Executive commissioners include Abiodun Adeniji (Finance), Francis Ogaree (Hydrocarbon), Oluwole Adama (Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure), and Dr. Mustapha Lamorde (Corporate Services and Administration). Additional board members are Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa (Distribution Systems), Adeyemi Murtala Aminu (Corporate Services), Modie Ogechukwu (Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning), and Barrister Olawale Dawodu (Secretary and Legal Adviser).
Tinubu urged the Senate to confirm the nominees promptly, following the recent appointments of CEOs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan (NUPRC) and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed (NMDPRA). He called on all appointees to execute their regulatory duties with professionalism to ensure effective oversight of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
