President Bola Tinubu has taken a significant step toward stabilizing the governance of Nigeria’s oil and gas sectors by nominating 21 individuals to the boards of the nation’s key petroleum regulatory bodies.
In formal communications sent to the Senate on Monday, the President sought the confirmation of former Senator Magnus Abe to lead the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and energy law expert Adegbite Adeniji to head the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Senator Magnus Abe, a veteran of the legislative and oil sectors, has been tapped to chair the NUPRC. Abe previously served on the board of the NNPC and currently oversees the National Agency of the Great Green Wall.
According to a statement from Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Abe will be joined by non-executive commissioners Paul Jezhi and Sunday Babalola.
The President also nominated seven executive commissioners to the upstream board:
– Muhammed Lamido (Finance)
– Edu Inyang (Exploration and Acreage)
– Justin Ezeala (Economic Regulation)
– Henry Oki (Development and Production)
– Indabawa Alka (Corporate Services)
– Mahmood Tijani (Health, Safety and Environment)
– Olayemi Adeboyejo (Secretary and Legal Adviser)
For the NMDPRA, the President nominated Adegbite Adeniji, a legal titan with over 30 years of experience in energy resources and a former World Bank advisor on Nigerian petroleum reform.
Joining him as non-executive members are Kenneth Kobani, a former Minister of State for Trade, and Asabe Ahmed. The executive director nominees for the midstream/downstream authority include:
– Abiodun Adeniji (Finance)
– Francis Ogaree (Hydrocarbon)
– Oluwole Adama (Gas Infrastructure)
– Dr. Mustapha Lamorde (Corporate Services)
– Yahaya Yinusa (Distribution Systems)
– Adeyemi Aminu (Corporate Services)
– Modie Ogechukwu (Economic Regulation)
– Olawale Dawodu (Board Secretary)
This overhaul follows the recent Senate confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA. Both agencies were created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021 to replace the now-defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
As the nominees prepare for their screening, the President was clear about his expectations for the new regulatory guard.
“President Tinubu charged all appointees and nominees to discharge their duties and responsibilities professionally as regulators of the oil and gas sectors, emphasising the strategic importance of effective oversight in the nation’s petroleum industry,” the Presidency noted.
The Senate is expected to begin screening the 21 nominees in the coming weeks to ensure the boards are fully operational to handle the complexities of the 2026 energy landscape.
