President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Senator Magnus Abe as Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) board, forwarding his name along with 20 other nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
In two letters sent to the National Assembly on Monday, January 5, 2026, Tinubu asked the Senate to approve nominees for the boards of the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Abe, a two-term former Senator for Rivers South‑East, is a former board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and currently chairs the National Agency for the Great Green Wall. If confirmed, he will lead the NUPRC board, which regulates upstream petroleum operations in Nigeria.
The submission also lists nominees for other NUPRC board positions. Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi and Sunday Adebayo Babalola were proposed as non-executive commissioners.
Executive nominees include Muhammed Sabo Lamido (finance), Edu Inyang (exploration and acreage), Justin Ezeala (economic regulation and strategic planning), Henry Darlington Oki (development and production), Indabawa Bashari Alka (corporate services and administration), and Mahmood Tijani (health, safety and environment).
Olayemi Adeboyejo was nominated as secretary and legal adviser.
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In a second letter, Tinubu nominated Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji, a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in energy and natural resources, as Chairman of the NMDPRA board.
Other nominees for the NMDPRA board include executive directors and non-executive members covering finance, hydrocarbon processing, midstream and downstream gas infrastructure, corporate services, and related functions.
The presidency urged the Senate to expedite confirmation to ensure both regulatory bodies can carry out their mandates effectively.