By Danjuma Amodu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally nominated former Rivers South-East Senator Magnus Abe to serve as Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
In a separate nomination, Tinubu has proposed lawyer Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji — who boasts over 30 years of experience in energy and natural resources law to chair the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The President transmitted two letters to the Senate on Monday, nominating Abe and 20 other candidates for confirmation as board members across both regulatory bodies.
In a statement issued Monday by Presidential Spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu urged the Senate to expedite the approval process to ensure seamless operational continuity for the two agencies.
Mr Abe, a two-term lawmaker, previously served as a board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and is currently the chairman of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall.
The nominees for Non-Executive Commissioners are Paul Yaro Jezhi, Former Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kaduna State, Sunday Adebayo Babalola, Former Deputy Director at the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
President Tinubu also nominated Executive Commissioner. There are
Muhammed Sabo Lamido, Finance, Edu Inyang, Exploration and Acreage, Justin Ezeala, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning, Henry Darlington Oki, Development and Production, Indabawa Bashari Alka, Corporate Services and Administration, Mahmood Tijani, Health, Safety and Environment, Olayemi Adeboyejo, Secretary and Legal Adviser
Lamido and Adeboyejo were appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022. Alka was appointed by President Tinubu in 2023. Inyang, Ezeala, Tijani, Babalola and Jezhi are new appointments under Tinubu.
In the second letter, Mr Tinubu nominated Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji, a lawyer with over 30 years experience in energy and natural resources as the Chairman of the NMDPRA Board.
Mr Adeniji previously served as Special Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum and was part of the World Bank Oil and Gas Policy team that advised Nigeria on petroleum sector reforms. He is currently the managing partner at ENR Advisory.
Other nominees to the NMDPRA board include Kenneth Kobani and Asabe Ahmed as Non-Executive Members.
Mr Kobani is a former Minister of State for Trade under President Goodluck Jonathan and previously served as secretary to the government of Rivers State.
Executive Directors nominated includes Abiodun Adeniji (Finance), Francis Ogaree (Hydrocarbon Processing Plants), Oluwole Adama (Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure), and Mustapha Lamorde (Corporate Services and Administration).
President Tinubu appointed Adama in 2024, while late President Buhari appointed Lamorde and Adeniji in 2021 and Ogaree in 2022.
Other nominees are Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa (Distribution Systems), Adeyemi Murtala Aminu (Corporate Services), Olawale Dawodu (Board Secretary and Legal Adviser) and Ogechukwu Modie (Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning).
Ogechukwu Modie (also known as Oge Funlola Modie) is a rising Nigerian leader with extensive experience in finance, public policy, and strategic communications. She made history as the first female Managing Director/CEO of NOI Polls. She has served as Chief of Staff to the NNPC GMD/Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and later as Senior Special Assistant on Strategic Communications to former President Muhammadu Buhari At NNPC, she spearheaded complex communications and transformation initiatives, including leading strategic projects such as the “7 Big Wins” for the petroleum sector.
These nominations follow the recent confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA is part of broader government efforts to reposition Nigeria’s oil and gas sector for efficiency, transparency, and investor confidence.
President Tinubu charged all nominees to discharge their duties with the highest level of professionalism, integrity, and commitment to regulating Nigeria’s oil and gas industry effectively.
