The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has sought amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act, including removal of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning from the boards of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

The National Assembly passed the Petroleum Industry Bill while the president signed it into law recently.

Speaker of the House of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, read the cover letter attached to an executive bill presented to the House by Buhari at the opening of plenary on Tuesday.

The proposals include the appointment of non-executive board members; removal of the ministries from the boards of the two institutions; and appointment of executive directors to the boards.

This is as the Senate received a formal request from Buhari to confirm the nominations of Members of the Board of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

The President in another letter to the upper chamber also sought the confirmation of the Board of the Upstream Regulatory Commission.

He explained in a letter dated September 16, 2021, and read during plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, that the request to confirm the Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive Directors for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority was made in accordance with the provision of Section 34(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

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The nominees for confirmation into the Nigerian Petroleum Regulatory Board are: Idaere Gogo Ogan (Chairman); Engr. Sarki Auwalu (Chief Executive); Abiodun A. Adeniji (Executive Director, Finance and Accounts); and Ogbugo Ukoha (Executive Director, Distributions Systems, Storage and Retail Infrastructure).

In a separate letter dated September 16, 2021, President Buhari while relying on the provision of Section 11(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, requested the Senate to confirm the appointment of four nominees as Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive Commissioners to the Board of the Upstream Regulatory Commission.

The nominees for confirmation are: Isa Ibrahim Modibo (Chairman); Engr. Gbenga Komolafe (Chief Executive); Hassan Gambo (Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts); and Ms Rose Ndong (Executive Commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management).

According to the President, both requests for the confirmation of the board’s membership were made “in order to fast track the process for the establishment of the Commission”.