Tinubu nominates Magnus Abe as NUPRC board chairman
President Bola Tinubu has put forward the name of former Rivers South-East Senator Magnus Abe for the position of chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and has submitted this nomination along with 20 others to the Senate for their approval to serve on the boards of the nation's two principal petroleum regulatory organizations.
In distinct letters sent to the Senate on Monday, the President requested prompt legislative consent for the board members of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Abe, who served two terms representing the Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the Senate, has previously been a board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and currently holds the position of chairman at the National Agency of the Great Green Wall.
As per a statement from Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Abe will lead the NUPRC board, which will also feature other non-executive commissioners such as Paul Jezhi, a former chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Kaduna State, and Sunday Babalola, a former deputy director of the now-defunct Department of Petroleum Resources.
Additionally, President Tinubu has nominated seven executive commissioners to the NUPRC board, including Muhammed Lamido as executive commissioner for finance, Edu Inyang for exploration and acreage, Justin Ezeala for economic regulation and strategic planning, and Henry Oki for development and production.
Other executive commissioners suggested for the NUPRC board are Indabawa Alka for corporate services and administration, Mahmood Tijani for health, safety, and environment, and Olayemi Adeboyejo, who will serve as secretary and legal adviser.
Lamido and Adeboyejo were initially appointed to the commission by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, while President Tinubu installed Alka in 2023.
Inyang, Ezeala, a former managing director of Nigerian Gas Marketing Limited, Tijani, Babalola, and Jezhi are all new appointments to the commission.
For the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, President Tinubu has nominated Adegbite Adeniji as the board's chairman.
Adeniji, who is a lawyer with over thirty years of experience in energy and natural resources, was previously a special technical adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum on upstream and gas matters until 2018.
He also participated as a member of the World Bank’s Oil and Gas Policy team that provided advice to the Nigerian government on reforms in the petroleum sector, including the formulation of the Strategic Gas Plan for Nigeria, and currently serves as managing partner at ENR Advisory.
The President has also nominated Kenneth Kobani, a past Minister of State for Trade under President Goodluck Jonathan and former Secretary to the Rivers State Government during Nyesom Wike's administration, as well as Asabe Ahmed, as non-executive members of the NMDPRA board.
Additional nominees for the NMDPRA board include Abiodun Adeniji as executive director of finance, Francis Ogaree for hydrocarbon, Oluwole Adama for midstream and downstream gas infrastructure, and Dr. Mustapha Lamorde for corporate services and administration.
President Tinubu appointed Adama to the board in 2024, while Lamorde and Adeniji were appointed by the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021 and Ogaree in 2022.
Further nominees suggested by the President for the NMDPRA board are Yahaya Yinusa as executive director for distribution systems, Adeyemi Aminu for corporate services, Modie Ogechukwu for economic regulation and strategic planning, and Olawale Dawodu to act as board secretary and legal adviser.
Dawodu is a veteran in the industry and has previously held the position of Financial Reporting Manager at Exxon’s Nigerian subsidiaries.
These presidential nominations come shortly after the Senate has confirmed the chief executive officers for the two petroleum regulatory agencies.
Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan has been confirmed as the chief executive officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, while Saidu Aliyu Mohammed was approved as the chief executive officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
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