_By Adesakin Adefemi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally transmitted two letters to the Senate seeking swift confirmation of 21 nominees to the boards of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), signaling a major shake‑up in the country’s oil and gas governance structure.
In his first letter, President Tinubu nominated former Senator Magnus Abe a two‑term lawmaker from Rivers South East, former NNPC board member, and current chairman of the National Agency of the Great Green Wall as chairman of the NUPRC board.
Abe’s deep legislative and sector experience is expected to guide the upstream regulator through critical reforms and production‑boosting initiatives.
Alongside Abe, the President named two non‑executive commissioners for NUPRC: Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi, former Trade Union Congress chairman in Kaduna, and Mr Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former deputy director of the now‑abolished Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). Both bring decades of technical and labour‑policy insight to the table.
The NUPRC slate also includes seven executive commissioners: Muhammed Sabo Lamido (Finance re‑appointed by Buhari in 2022), Edu Inyang (Exploration & Acreage former MD of Nigerian Gas Marketing Limited), Justin Ezeala (Economic Regulation & Strategic Planning), Henry Darlington Oki (Development & Production), Indabawa Bashari Alka (Corporate Services & Admin appointed by Tinubu in 2023), Mahmood Tijani (Health, Safety & Environment a fresh pick), and Ms Olayemi Adeboyejo (Secretary & Legal Adviser also carried over from Buhari’s 2022 list). Inyang, Ezeala, Tijani, Babalola and Jezhi are first‑time appointees under Tinubu.
In a second letter, the President proposed Mr Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji a veteran energy lawyer with over 30 years’ experience as chairman of the NMDPRA board.
Adeniji previously served as a special technical adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum on upstream and gas matters, contributed to the World Bank’s Oil & Gas Policy team that shaped Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act reforms, and currently heads ENR Advisory.
The NMDPRA board also features two non‑executive members: Chief Kenneth Kobani former Minister of State for Trade under President Goodluck Jonathan and ex‑Secretary to the Rivers State Government and Mrs Asabe Ahmed, adding political and administrative heft.
Executive directors slated for confirmation include Abiodun Adeniji (Finance appointed 2021), Francis Ogaree (Hydrocarbon 2022), Oluwole Adama (Midstream & Downstream Gas Infrastructure 2024), Dr Mustapha Lamorde (Corporate Services & Admin 2021), Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa (Distribution Systems).
Adeyemi Murtala Aminu (Corporate Services), Modie Ogechukwu (Economic Regulation & Strategic Planning), and Barrister Olawale Dawodu (Board Secretary & Legal Adviser former Financial Reporting Manager at ExxonMobil Nigeria).
The nominations follow the recent Senate confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA both seasoned oil‑and‑gas executives tasked with steering the new regulatory era.
President Tinubu has charged all nominees to act professionally, transparently and decisively to unlock Nigeria’s full hydrocarbon potential and ensure compliance with the PIA.
In a statement, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy Bayo Onanuga said the appointments reflect Tinubu’s commitment to “competence, continuity and reform” in the sector, urging the Senate to expedite confirmations so the boards can begin work without delay.
