Senate Screens Tinubu’s Oil Regulators, Nominees Promise Digitisation, Gas Discipline, Investor Confidence

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The joint Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream, Downstream and Gas) Thursday subjected President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for the leadership of Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory agencies to a rigorous screening.

The candidates unveiled ambitious plans centred on digitisation, strict contract enforcement, stakeholder collaboration and accelerated gas development to unlock value in the sector.

The exercise, held at the National Assembly, Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan, nominated as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Mr. Saidu Mohammed, nominated as CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), attended the session in company with their associates and family members.

They assured the senators that they would leverage the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to reposition the industry, boost production, attract investments and translate Nigeria’s vast hydrocarbon resources into tangible economic value.

President Tinubu had forwarded their names to the Senate following the resignation of the pioneer chief executives of the two agencies, Gbenga Komolafe (NUPRC) and Farouk Ahmed (NMDPRA), both appointed in 2021 after the enactment of the PIA.

Addressing the committee, Eyesan emphasised collaboration, technology and data-driven regulation as the pillars of her proposed stewardship of the upstream regulator.

She said: “One of the core pillars for me is collaboration, not just with science, but effective stakeholder collaboration.”

She noted that progress in her previous roles was achieved by identifying key stakeholders, confronting shared pain points and jointly developing solutions.

She lamented Nigeria’s continued reliance on manual systems in a rapidly evolving global energy industry, warning that the country was “leaving value on the table” by failing to fully digitise operations.

According to her, “Without real numbers, you don’t know what you are dealing with. If you don’t have a digitised system in today’s operation, you are losing money.”

Eyesan told the senators that asset integrity and robust regulatory frameworks would also be prioritised.

The NUPRC nominee stressed that regulators must work closely with industry players to develop enabling laws, regulations and policies, pledging to partner the Senate to channel the sector in the “right direction”.

She described the PIA as “a valuable document” that must be fully leveraged to meet national objectives, especially as the world transitions at “jet-speed rates”.

Eyesan, a University of Benin economics graduate, brings nearly 33 years of experience from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its subsidiaries.

She recounted her role in restoring investor confidence during periods of divestment threats, resolving multi-billion-dollar disputes with partners, advancing deep offshore investments and signing Nigeria’s first non-associated gas development contract.

She also highlighted her contribution to increasing crude oil production from about 1.3 million barrels per day to 1.8 million barrels per day during her tenure as Executive Vice-President, Upstream.

“Having participated as an operator and in developing resources, I believe I have gathered enough experience to regulate the industry and ensure that we maximise the huge opportunities in oil and gas,” she said.

In his presentation, Mohammed focused on restoring discipline to Nigeria’s midstream and downstream gas and petroleum value chains, particularly through strict enforcement of contracts and quality standards.

He said: “Gas is a commodity that is sold before you even start producing it. There must be contracts, from the producer to the transporter to the eventual user.”

Mohammed said that the absence of enforceable agreements had undermined gas-to-power supply and infrastructure development.

Drawing from his experience as Managing Director of the Nigerian Gas Company and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, he warned against neglecting local capacity.

“We must protect our local interests; otherwise, they will go the way of the textile industry,” he said.

He also acknowledged the importance of meeting domestic demand before exporting surplus products.

Mohammed pledged to operationalise the Gas Network Code to impose discipline across the system, revive pipeline transportation of petroleum products, and attract billions of dollars in investment for gas processing plants and infrastructure.

He also underscored the importance of quality assurance, promising to strengthen in-house laboratory capacity at the NMDPRA to ensure product standards.

Born in Gombe in 1957 and a chemical engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Mohammed has served across the oil and gas value chain, including as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate at NNPC, and as chairman of several energy sector boards.

He played key roles in landmark projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG trains.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Senator Sumaila Kawu, said the screening came at a “very critical” time for Nigeria, stressing the urgency of boosting energy production to meet national development goals.

He indicated that further engagements with the nominees would continue into January to deepen collaboration between the legislature and regulators.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, representing Edo North Senatorial District Adams Oshiomhole, added humour to the event when he jokingly pledge to drink when he gets home to celebrate the exit of the former regulators from the oil and gas sector.

With the screening concluded, the Senate is expected to consider the committee’s report and move towards confirming the nominees, setting the stage for a new leadership phase in Nigeria’s oil and gas regulation under the Tinubu administration.

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