President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Senator representing Rivers South East, Magnus Abe, as Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), alongside 20 other nominees to serve on the boards of Nigeria’s two key petroleum sector regulatory agencies. The nominations, which require Senate confirmation, were formally transmitted to the upper legislative chamber on Monday.
In separate letters addressed to the President of the Senate, the President sought the Senate’s expedited screening and confirmation of nominees to the boards of the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The move comes as part of ongoing efforts by the Tinubu administration to strengthen governance, oversight, and regulatory efficiency in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Senator Abe was nominated to lead the NUPRC board as chairman. Abe, a two term senator who represented Rivers South East Senatorial District, is a familiar figure in Nigeria’s petroleum sector governance. He previously served as a board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and currently chairs the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, a federal agency focused on combating desertification and environmental degradation.
Alongside Abe, the President nominated two non executive commissioners to the NUPRC board. They include Paul Jezhi, a former chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Kaduna State, and Sunday Babalola, a former deputy director at the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources. Their appointments are expected to bring labour relations experience and deep regulatory institutional knowledge to the commission.
President Tinubu also nominated seven executive commissioners to serve on the NUPRC board, reflecting the broad operational responsibilities of the upstream petroleum regulator. The nominees include Muhammed Lamido as Executive Commissioner for Finance; Edu Inyang as Executive Commissioner for Exploration and Acreage; Justin Ezeala as Executive Commissioner for Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning; and Henry Oki as Executive Commissioner for Development and Production.
Others are Indabawa Alka as Executive Commissioner for Corporate Services and Administration; Mahmood Tijani as Executive Commissioner for Health, Safety and Environment; and Olayemi Adeboyejo as Secretary and Legal Adviser to the Commission.
Some of the nominees bring continuity from previous administrations. Lamido and Adeboyejo were initially appointed in 2022 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, while Alka was appointed by President Tinubu in 2023. The remaining nominees, including Inyang, Ezeala, Tijani, Babalola and Jezhi, are new appointees. Ezeala is a former Managing Director of Nigerian Gas Marketing Limited, while Tijani and Inyang bring technical and operational experience from the energy sector.
For the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, President Tinubu nominated Adegbite Adeniji as Chairman of the board. Adeniji is a lawyer with more than three decades of experience in energy and natural resources law and policy. He previously served as Special Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum on upstream and gas matters until 2018.
Adeniji also worked as part of the World Bank’s Oil and Gas Policy team, where he advised the Nigerian government on petroleum sector reforms, including the development of the Strategic Gas Plan for Nigeria. He is currently the Managing Partner at ENR Advisory, an energy focused consulting firm.
Other nominees to the NMDPRA board as non executive members include Kenneth Kobani, a former Minister of State for Trade under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government during the tenure of Nyesom Wike, as well as Asabe Ahmed.
The President also forwarded names of executive directors to the NMDPRA board. They include Abiodun Adeniji as Executive Director for Finance; Francis Ogaree as Executive Director for Hydrocarbon Processing; Oluwole Adama as Executive Director for Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure; and Dr Mustapha Lamorde as Executive Director for Corporate Services and Administration.
Of these nominees, Adama was appointed by President Tinubu in 2024, while Lamorde and Adeniji were appointed in 2021 and Ogaree in 2022 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, indicating a mix of continuity and new leadership within the authority.
Additional nominees to the NMDPRA board include Yahaya Yinusa as Executive Director for Distribution Systems; Adeyemi Aminu for Corporate Services; Modie Ogechukwu for Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning; and Olawale Dawodu as Board Secretary and Legal Adviser. Dawodu is an industry veteran with extensive experience in financial reporting, having previously served as Financial Reporting Manager at ExxonMobil’s Nigerian subsidiaries.
The nomination of board members follows the recent confirmation by the Senate of the chief executive officers of both regulatory bodies. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan was confirmed as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC, while Saidu Aliyu Mohammed was approved as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.
Both the NUPRC and the NMDPRA were established under the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021, a landmark legislation that dismantled the Department of Petroleum Resources and overhauled Nigeria’s petroleum sector governance framework. The Act was designed to promote transparency, efficiency, and accountability across the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of the industry.
President Tinubu, according to the presidency, has charged all nominees and appointees to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism, integrity, and strict adherence to the law. He emphasised the strategic importance of effective regulation in unlocking Nigeria’s oil and gas potential, improving investor confidence, and ensuring that the sector contributes optimally to national economic development.
The Senate is expected to commence the screening of the nominees in the coming weeks, after which confirmation votes will be conducted. If approved, the new boards will play a central role in shaping regulatory policy, overseeing industry operations, and implementing the objectives of the Petroleum Industry Act as Nigeria continues efforts to reform and stabilise its vital oil and gas sector.
