President Bola Tinubu has put forward former Rivers South-East senator Magnus Abe to lead the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) as board chairman, replacing Gbenga Komolafe who recently stepped down.
The presidency revealed the appointment Monday through a statement from Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. According to Onanuga, Tinubu has formally requested Senate approval for 21 individuals nominated to serve on the boards of both the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Abe brings considerable experience to the role, having served two terms representing Rivers South-East in the Senate. He previously sat on the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and currently heads the National Agency for the Great Green Wall.
The NUPRC board nominations include Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi, formerly with the Trade Union Congress in Kaduna State, and Sunday Adebayo Babalola, who worked as deputy director at the now-defunct Department of Petroleum Resources. Both have been tapped as non-executive commissioners.
Seven executive commissioner positions have been filled with nominees covering key operational areas: Muhammed Sabo Lamido for finance, Edu Inyang for exploration and acreage, Justin Ezeala for economic regulation and strategic planning, Henry Darlington Oki for development and production, Indabawa Bashari Alka for corporate services and administration, and Mahmood Tijani for health, safety and environment. Olayemi Adeboyejo has been nominated to serve as secretary and legal adviser.
For the NMDPRA, Tinubu has selected Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji, an energy sector lawyer with more than three decades of experience, to chair the board. Adeniji’s background includes serving as technical adviser to the minister of state for petroleum and collaborating with the World Bank on Nigeria’s oil and gas sector reforms.
The president called on the Senate to move quickly on the confirmations, emphasizing that these nominations follow recent appointments of chief executives for both regulatory bodies. Tinubu stressed that all nominees must carry out their duties with professionalism as regulators overseeing Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
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