President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded two separate letters to the Senate, requesting the confirmation of 21 nominees to serve on the boards of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
In the first letter, the President nominated former senator Magnus Abe as chairman of the NUPRC board.
Abe previously represented Rivers South-East in the Senate, served on the NNPC board, and currently chairs the National Agency for the Great Green Wall.
Other nominees to the NUPRC board include former Kaduna Trade Union Congress chairman, Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi, and former Deputy Director of the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources, Sunday Adebayo Babalola, both as non-executive commissioners.
Also nominated as executive commissioners 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 Olayemi Adeboyejo as secretary and legal adviser.
Some of the nominees are retainers from previous administrations, while others are new appointments by President Tinubu.
In his second letter, the President proposed lawyer and energy expert Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji as chairman of the NMDPRA board.
Adeniji has over three decades of experience in the energy sector, previously advised the federal government on petroleum sector reforms, and currently serves as managing partner at ENR Advisory.
Tinubu also named Chief Kenneth Kobani and Mrs. Asabe Ahmed as non-executive members of the board.
Other nominees to the agency include Abiodun Adeniji (Executive Director, Finance), Francis Ogaree (Executive Director, Hydrocarbon), Oluwole Adama (Executive Director, Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure), and Dr. Mustapha Lamorde (Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration).
Additional members proposed are Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa, Adeyemi Murtala Aminu, Modie Ogechukwu, and Olawale Dawodu, who is nominated as board secretary and legal adviser.
The President urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process, noting that the nominations follow the recent appointment of chief executive officers for both agencies.
He charged all appointees to uphold professionalism and transparency in regulating the nation’s oil and gas industry.
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