The Senate has screened President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for the leadership of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The screening, conducted by the Committee of the Whole on Thursday, followed the president’s request for the confirmation of Saidu Muhammad as the chief executive of the NMDPRA and Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the chief executive of the NUPRC.
At plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the receipt of two separate letters from President Tinubu, seeking the Senate’s approval for the appointments, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
Reading the first letter, Akpabio said Tinubu nominated Muhammad pursuant to Section 41(6) of the Act, following the resignation of the immediate past head of the NMDPRA.
The president stressed the need for speedy confirmation to avoid a leadership vacuum in an agency responsible for critical midstream and downstream petroleum operations, including the authorisation of vessel movements.
“I hope that the Senate will consider and confirm the nominee expeditiously,” the president said, while assuring the Senate leadership of his highest regards.
Given the strategic nature of the position, Akpabio referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for immediate consideration.
In the second letter, Tinubu sought the confirmation of Eyesan as chief executive of the NUPRC in line with Section 11(3) of the PIA 2021, also citing the resignation of the commission’s former chief executive and the need to ensure continuity and stability in the regulation of the upstream petroleum sector.
The nomination was similarly referred to the Committee of the Whole.
The screening exercise, which took place at Senate Room 117, was largely routine, as both nominees were asked to take a bow after their credentials were reviewed and a few questions were posed by lawmakers.
The development comes amid a shake-up in Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory sector following the resignations of the former chief executives of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, and the NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe.
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The Presidency had announced their resignations on Wednesday amid controversy triggered by allegations and a petition by President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, over regulatory actions affecting the downstream sector, particularly disagreements involving fuel importation, pricing and oversight.
Confirming the nominations, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described both nominees as seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the oil and gas industry.
Eyesan is a graduate of economics from the University of Benin and spent nearly 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its subsidiaries, retiring as executive vice president, upstream, between 2023 and 2024.
Muhammad, born in 1957 in Gombe State, is a chemical engineering graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
He has previously served as managing director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, and chaired the boards of several energy-related institutions.
