Tinubu Reforms Oil, Gas Regulators’ Boards, Seeks Senate Approval

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded two separate letters to the Nigerian Senate seeking confirmation of 21 nominees to reconstitute the governing boards of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The President said the nominations are intended to strengthen governance, improve regulatory efficiency, and consolidate reforms introduced by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). He urged the Senate to consider the requests expeditiously, stressing the strategic role of the regulators in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

For the NUPRC, Tinubu nominated former Rivers South-East senator Magnus Abe as Chairman. He also named executive commissioners including Muhammed Sabo Lamido (Finance), Edu Inyang (Exploration and Acreage), Justin Ezeala (Economic Regulation), Henry Darlington Oki (Development and Production), Indabawa Bashari Alka (Corporate Services), Mahmood Tijani (HSE), and Olayemi Adeboyejo as Secretary and Legal Adviser.

In a separate letter, the President nominated Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji as Chairman of the NMDPRA Board. Other nominees include Kenneth Kobani and Asabe Ahmed as non-executive members, while executive nominees include Abiodun Adeniji (Finance), Francis Ogaree (Hydrocarbon), Oluwole Adama (Gas Infrastructure), and Mustapha Lamorde (Corporate Services).

The nominations follow the recent Senate confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of the NUPRC and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of the NMDPRA. President Tinubu has charged all nominees to serve with professionalism, integrity, and independence to support transparency and sustainable growth in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry