The Senate on Thursday confirmed the appointment of four nominees as members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. The nominees are Idaere Gogo Ogan – Chairman; Farouk A. Ahmed – Chief Executive Officer; Abiodun Adeniji – Executive Director, Finance and Accounts; and Ogbugo Ukoha – Executive Director, Distributions System, Storage and Retail Infrastructure. The confirmation of the nominees followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Downstream Petroleum Sector during plenary. The report was presented by its Chairman, Senator Sabo Mohammed (Jigawa South-West).
Senator Mohammed, in his presentation, said that their appointments are in accordance with the provisions of section 34(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021. According to the lawmaker, “the nominees posses the technical knowledge and professional expertise to be Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive Directors of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.” He stated that the Committee did not receive any petition against their nominations for appointment, adding that they were cleared by the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and possess the Code of Conduct Acknowledgement Slips.
Senator Ajibola Basiru (Osun Central), said the synergy between the executive and legislature has paid of from committed efforts aimed at stabilizing the Nigerian economy, particularly the Oil and Gas sector with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act. “I think this should be noted for Nigerians to know that country is ready for full utilization and optimization of the benefits in the oil and gas sector”, he said. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks said that the nominees are primed to lay the foundation for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority.
He, therefore, advised the confirmed nominees to work in collaboration with the relevant Committees of the National Assembly to ensure positive outcomes in the oil and gas sector. He said, “They need to work hard, they need to be selfless. What they do is going to impact very significantly on the reform of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. “[And] in fact, when they work hard on the foundation, they could get it right and then any other development in the future will be on a very sound, strong and stable foundation. “To do otherwise is not an option. This is a trust that this nation has bestowed on them.”
