(UPDATED) Senate Confirms New Oil Regulators’ Appointments as PANDEF Applauds Reforms, Seeks Niger Delta Inclusion

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate on Friday confirmed the appointments of new chief executives for Nigeria’s key petroleum regulatory agencies, drawing commendation from the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), which described the development as a positive step in ongoing reforms of the oil and gas sector while renewing calls for deeper Niger Delta inclusion and urgent environmental action.

The confirmations followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the joint Senate committees that screened the nominees. 

The report was presented at plenary by the committee chairman, Senator Kawu Sumaila, at a session presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau.

Those confirmed are Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Mr. Saidu Mohammed as Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), completing a leadership reset in the petroleum regulatory architecture after the exit of their predecessors.

Presenting the report, Sumaila recalled that the Senate, at its sitting of December 18, 2025, received a request from President Bola Tinubu seeking legislative confirmation of the nominees in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. 

The request was subsequently referred to the relevant joint committees on petroleum for screening.

He explained that Sections 4 and 29 of the PIA establish the NUPRC and NMDPRA respectively, while Sections 11(3) and 34(3) empower the president to appoint their chief executives, subject to Senate confirmation, for a renewable five-year term.

According to Sumaila, the joint committees conducted what he described as a rigorous and transparent screening exercise, during which the nominees were interrogated on their qualifications, professional experience and understanding of the mandates of their respective agencies.

“The Joint Committee, having screened the nominees and satisfied with their qualifications, expertise and responses to the various questions asked, hereby recommends that the Senate confirm the nomination of Eyesan as Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and Mohammed as Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority,” he said.

The Deputy Senate President thereafter put the recommendations to a voice vote, which was unanimously affirmed by lawmakers, paving the way for the immediate assumption of office by the new regulators.

Barau commended the joint committees for what he described as exceptional diligence and speed, noting that the screening was concluded within a remarkably short timeframe.

Sumaila said: “The confirmation and screening were referred to the committee just yesterday. 

“They worked through the night and did in one day what ordinarily should take one or two weeks. They have demonstrated commitment to the Senate and to Nigeria.”

Congratulating the confirmed appointees, Barau reminded them that their new roles amounted to a call to national service, urging them to discharge their responsibilities in the overall interest of the country and in line with the reform objectives of the PIA.

As the Senate completed the confirmation process, PANDEF, the apex socio-political body of the Niger Delta, welcomed the development, describing the appointments as a signal of renewed seriousness in repositioning Nigeria’s oil and gas industry for growth, stability and global competitiveness.

At a press conference in Abuja on Friday, PANDEF expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for what it called bold and well-considered appointments, particularly the confirmation of professionals with deep industry experience to lead the regulatory agencies.

The forum singled out the appointment of Eyesan as NUPRC chief executive, describing it as “putting a square peg in a square hole.”

PANDEF said her track record and depth of experience place her in a strong position to drive meaningful reforms in the upstream sector.

It noted that Eyesan, an accomplished economist, previously served as Executive Vice-President (Upstream) at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, where she was credited with professionalism, diligence and impactful leadership. 

According to PANDEF, her emergence reflects competence-based governance and stands as a source of pride, especially for women in the oil and gas industry.

PANDEF also applauded the appointment of Mohammed as head of the NMDPRA, arguing that competent leadership across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments demonstrates a clear intention by the president to reposition the sector for what it described as a “quantum leap” into the future.

While expressing optimism that the reforms would be holistic and sustained, the forum renewed its long-standing call for greater inclusion of Niger Delta professionals in top positions across the petroleum industry, particularly within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (.NNPCL) and its subsidiaries. 

It stressed that the Niger Delta, as the hub of Nigeria’s oil production, hosts a high concentration of experienced professionals who deserve adequate representation in leadership.

Beyond appointments, PANDEF urged the Federal Government to intensify environmental remediation efforts in the Niger Delta, insisting that intervention should go beyond the Ogoni clean-up. 

It called for a comprehensive, sustained programme, backed by annual budgetary provisions, to address decades of environmental degradation across the region.

The group also revived its call for the promotion of modular refineries in the Niger Delta, recalling the Federal Government’s 2018 commitment to establish a Modular Refinery Development Fund.

It urged that the initiative be urgently revisited to stimulate economic activity, create jobs and deepen host community participation in the implementation of the PIA.

Reaffirming its role as the umbrella body for host communities, PANDEF pledged continued collaboration with federal and state governments to mobilise Niger Delta communities in ensuring a stable and conducive environment for the oil and gas sector to thrive in the national interest.