SENATE SCREENS TINUBU’S NOMINEES FOR NMDPRA, NUPRC
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The Senate is set to confirm President Bola Tinubu’s picks for the top jobs at two major petroleum regulatory agencies, Saidu Muhammad and Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, on Friday. This comes after their names were reviewed by the Committee of the Whole on Thursday.
Before this confirmation, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, shared in a plenary session that he had received two letters from President Tinubu asking for approval of new leaders for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
He mentioned this was in line with the rules from the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
When Akpabio read the letters, he said President Tinubu had chosen Engineer Saidu Muhammad to be the head of the NMDPRA, as stated in Section 41(6) of the Act.
President Tinubu explained that the choice came after the previous leader of the agency resigned.
He emphasized the importance of quickly confirming the new leader to avoid a gap in leadership for an agency that handles important midstream and downstream activities, such as approving the movement of ships.
“I hope that the Senate will consider and confirm the nominee expeditiously,” the President said, while assuring the Senate leadership of his highest regard.
Citing time constraints and the strategic nature of the position, Akpabio referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for immediate consideration.
In a second letter, the President sought the confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Commission Chief Executive of the NUPRC, “in line with Section 11(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021
Tinubu said the nomination was needed because the commission‘s previous chief executive had resigned, and he asked the Senate to act quickly to keep things stable and running smoothly in the upstream petroleum sector.
That nomination was also sent to the Committee of the Whole for fast consideration and possible approval.
The screening happened in Senate Room 117, and both nominees and their teams were already seated before the meeting started.
Unlike what people expected, the process wasn’t very intense.
After checking their resumes, the nominees were just asked to stand up and leave, with only a few questions asked.
This comes after a big change in Nigeria’s petroleum regulation, following the resignations of the Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, and the NUPRC head, Gbenga Komolafe.
The Presidency announced both resignations on Wednesday, amid increasing controversy from a petition by Aliko Dangote, the President of the Dangote Group, about regulatory actions affecting the downstream sector.
The dispute centred on disagreements between the Dangote Refinery and the NMDPRA over fuel importation, pricing, and regulatory oversight.
Dangote accused Ahmed of economic sabotage and then filed a complaint with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), saying he had questionable personal money. He claimed that the regulator had paid around $5 million for the secondary education of Ahmed’s four children in Switzerland.
After the complaint and the resulting disagreement, Ahmed was called to the Presidential Villa and eventually resigned.
Komolafe, who wasn’t directly involved in the dispute, also left his position.
Sources suggested that the Presidency decided to change leadership at both agencies at the same time.
Confirming the appointments, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu had sent the names of the nominees to the Senate for approval.
He described both people as experienced professionals in the oil and gas industry.
Eyesan, who graduated in Economics from the University of Benin, worked for nearly 33 years at the NNPC and its subsidiaries.
She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, between 2023 and 2024. She also served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, from 2019 to 2023.
Muhammad was born in 1957 in Gombe State.
He graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He has held various leadership roles, including Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He has also served as chairman of the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
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