The Senate has challenged incoming executive directors in Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum regulatory agencies to ensure that the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s petroleum reforms delivers measurable benefits to Nigerians, warning that administrative obstruction, inefficiency and lack of transparency will not be tolerated.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, issued the warning on Thursday during the screening of seven nominees for executive director positions across the relevant regulatory institutions.
Sumaila said the Senate would closely monitor the performance of the nominees, particularly their commitment to implementing government policies and strengthening regulatory institutions.
He expressed concern that some petroleum agencies were not doing enough to advance the President’s agenda for the sector, warning that internal practices capable of frustrating government initiatives must end.
“Some agencies are simply not helping Mr President in the actualisation of his vision for the petroleum sector. This must stop,” he said.
The senator cautioned that deliberate administrative delays, weak institutional performance and disregard for established regulations would attract scrutiny from the committee.
He said the nominees must demonstrate professionalism, integrity and accountability, stressing that their responsibilities extend beyond occupying public offices to enforcing the law, protecting the public interest and implementing policies within their statutory mandates.
“Under our watch, we will not tolerate administrative sabotage, lack of transparency, inefficiency or any conduct that undermines the effective implementation of government policies.
“Sabotaging public institutions and government policies is ultimately sabotaging the future and economic prosperity of Nigeria,” Sumaila warned.
Beyond regulatory discipline, the committee chairman urged the nominees to develop practical measures that would reduce the economic pressure Nigerians face from petroleum sector reforms.
He acknowledged that although the reforms were intended to reposition the industry, strengthen the economy and secure long-term energy sustainability, their effects had placed considerable pressure on households and businesses.
According to him, higher petroleum costs have implications for transportation, food prices and other essential commodities, making it necessary for regulators to consider how their decisions affect consumers.
“Beyond the enforcement of regulations, you must explore practical and sustainable measures to mitigate the impact of these reforms on citizens and contribute meaningfully towards alleviating their economic hardship,” he said.
Sumaila maintained that petroleum regulation should not be limited to punitive enforcement, but should promote transparency, progress, responsiveness and public welfare.
He also stressed the need for regulatory institutions to exercise their statutory responsibilities independently, noting that their decisions would influence energy security, investment, competition and the overall welfare of Nigerians.
He said the midstream and downstream sectors required stronger regulatory performance to attract investment, address operational inefficiencies, promote healthy competition and improve national energy security.
The senator described the screening exercise as part of the Senate’s constitutional responsibility to assess the qualifications, competence, professional experience and integrity of nominees for public appointments.
He also congratulated nominees whose contributions to the petroleum industry had earned them reappointments by President Tinubu, expressing the expectation that their renewed mandates would produce better institutional performance.
The seven nominees were forwarded to the Senate by the President last week.
They include Abiodun A. Adeiji, nominated as Executive Director, Finance and Accounts; Ogbugo Kalu Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution, Systems Storage and Retailing Infrastructure; and Dr Mustapha Lamorde, Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community.
Others are Mobolaji Tajudeen Musa, nominated as Executive Director, Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installation and Partnership and Transportation Infrastructure; Ogechukwu Olufunmilayo Modie, Executive Director, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning; Said Abutalib, Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration; and Jumoke Gafar, Executive Director, Board Secretary and Legal Adviser.
Sumaila said the nominees would assume their responsibilities at a time when Nigerians expected stronger performance and greater accountability from institutions overseeing the petroleum industry.
He urged them to justify the confidence placed in them by the President through measurable improvements in their respective areas of responsibility.
“The responsibility before you is enormous, and the expectations of Nigerians are equally high,” he said.
The committee chairman expressed confidence that patriotism, professional competence, integrity and dedication among the nominees would help strengthen the petroleum sector and increase its contribution to Nigeria’s economic development.
