President Bola Tinubu has nominated Magnus Abe as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. The President forwarded Abe’s name and 20 others to the Senate for confirmation. In separate letters, Tinubu urged the Senate to expedite approvals for petroleum regulatory boards.
The request covers both the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. Magnus Abe previously represented Rivers South-East in the Senate for two terms. He also served on the former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation board.
Currently, Abe chairs the National Agency of the Great Green Wall. According to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, Abe will lead non-executive commissioners. They include Paul Jezhi and former DPR deputy director Sunday Babalola.Tinubu also nominated seven executive commissioners to the NUPRC board.
They include Muhammed Lamido for finance and Edu Inyang for exploration. Others are Justin Ezeala, Henry Oki, Indabawa Alka, Mahmood Tijani, and Olayemi Adeboyejo. Some nominees previously served under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Meanwhile, several others are first-time appointees to the regulatory body. For the NMDPRA board, Tinubu nominated Adegbite Adeniji as chairman. Adeniji has over 30 years of energy and natural resources experience.
He previously advised Nigeria on petroleum reforms through the World Bank. Additional nominees include Kenneth Kobani, Asabe Ahmed, and Abiodun Adeniji. Others will oversee finance, hydrocarbon regulation, gas infrastructure, and corporate services.
The nominations follow Senate confirmation of agency chief executives. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan now leads NUPRC, while Saidu Mohammed heads NMDPRA. Both agencies were created under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. Tinubu urged nominees to uphold professionalism and strengthen sector oversight. The Senate is expected to commence screenings in coming weeks.
