President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm Magnus Abe as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and approve 20 other nominees for board positions across Nigeria’s two petroleum regulatory agencies.
In separate letters sent to the Senate on Monday, the President requested expedited screening and confirmation for nominees to the boards of the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
NUPRC Board Appointments
Tinubu nominated Magnus Abe, a former two-term senator representing Rivers South-East, to chair the NUPRC board. Abe previously served on the board of the former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and currently chairs the National Agency of the Great Green Wall.
The President also named Paul Jezhi, a former chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Kaduna, and Sunday Babalola, a former deputy director at the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources, as non-executive commissioners.
For executive positions on the NUPRC board, Tinubu nominated:
- Muhammed Lamido – Finance
- Edu Inyang – Exploration and Acreage
- Justin Ezeala – Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning
- Henry Oki – Development and Production
- Indabawa Alka – Corporate Services and Administration
- Mahmood Tijani – Health, Safety and Environment
- Olayemi Adeboyejo – Secretary and Legal Adviser
Lamido and Adeboyejo joined the commission in 2022, while Tinubu appointed Alka in 2023. Inyang, Ezeala, Tijani, Jezhi, and Babalola are new nominees.
NMDPRA Board Appointments
For the NMDPRA, Tinubu nominated Adegbite Adeniji as board chairman. Adeniji is a lawyer with over 30 years of experience in energy and natural resources. He previously served as technical adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum and worked with the World Bank’s Oil and Gas Policy team, contributing to Nigeria’s Strategic Gas Plan. He currently serves as managing partner at ENR Advisory.
The President also nominated Kenneth Kobani, a former minister of state for trade and ex-secretary to the Rivers State government, and Asabe Ahmed as non-executive board members.
Executive nominees to the NMDPRA board include:
- Abiodun Adeniji – Finance
- Francis Ogaree – Hydrocarbon Processing
- Oluwole Adama – Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure
- Dr Mustapha Lamorde – Corporate Services and Administration
Tinubu appointed Adama in 2024, while Lamorde and Adeniji joined in 2021 and Ogaree in 2022.
Additional nominees are Yahaya Yinusa (Distribution Systems), Adeyemi Aminu (Corporate Services), Modie Ogechukwu (Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning), and Olawale Dawodu as board secretary and legal adviser. Dawodu previously worked as a financial reporting manager at Exxon Nigerian subsidiaries.
Senate Screening Ahead
The nominations follow the Senate’s recent confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as chief executive officer of the NUPRC and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as chief executive officer of the NMDPRA.
The Petroleum Industry Act of 2021 established both agencies after scrapping the Department of Petroleum Resources to overhaul Nigeria’s oil and gas governance structure.
The Senate is expected to begin screening the nominees in the coming weeks ahead of confirmation votes.