Full List: Tinubu Sends 21 Nominations to Senate for NUPRC and NMDPRA Board Appointments

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Magnus Abe, a former senator for Rivers South-East, to chair the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). He also submitted 20 additional nominees to serve on the boards of the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), requesting the Senate’s expedited confirmation.

In letters sent on Monday, the President highlighted the importance of filling these positions to strengthen oversight and governance of Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

Abe, who previously served on the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and currently chairs the National Agency of the Great Green Wall, will lead the NUPRC board. Other non-executive commissioners nominated include Paul Jezhi, former Trade Union Congress chairman in Kaduna, and Sunday Babalola, a former deputy director of the now-defunct Department of Petroleum Resources.

Seven executive commissioners were also proposed for the NUPRC board: 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), and Olayemi Adeboyejo (secretary and legal adviser). Several of these nominees are new appointments, while others had been previously appointed under former administrations.

For the NMDPRA board, Tinubu nominated Adegbite Adeniji, a lawyer with over 30 years of experience in energy and natural resources, as chairman. Adeniji formerly served as a technical adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum and contributed to the World Bank’s Oil & Gas Policy team, advising the Nigerian government on sector reforms.

Other nominees for NMDPRA include Kenneth Kobani, a former federal minister of state for trade and ex-Rivers State secretary, and Asabe Ahmed as non-executive members. Executive directors nominated include Abiodun Adeniji (finance), Francis Ogaree (hydrocarbon), Oluwole Adama (midstream and downstream gas infrastructure), Mustapha Lamorde (corporate services and administration), Yahaya Yinusa (distribution systems), Adeyemi Aminu (corporate services), Modie Ogechukwu (economic regulation and strategic planning), and Olawale Dawodu (board secretary and legal adviser).

The nominations follow the Senate’s confirmation of the agencies’ chief executives: Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan for NUPRC and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed for NMDPRA. Both bodies were established under the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021, which replaced the Department of Petroleum Resources and reorganized sector governance.

President Tinubu urged all nominees to perform their duties professionally, emphasizing the critical role of regulatory oversight in sustaining the nation’s oil and gas industry. The Senate is expected to begin screening the nominees in the coming weeks.