PIA: Senate Screens Chairmen, Board Members For Downstream, Upstream Regulatory Agencies

The Senate will today begin the screening of nominees for Chairmen, Chief Executives and Executive Commissioners into the Board of the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission; and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

The two agencies were created following the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act, which was signed into law in August by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The screening which is coming barely two weeks after the President sent a list of the nominees, is expected to be done by the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream)

Buhari had in his letter to the Senate asked the Senate to confirm for the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority Idaere Ogan (Chairman); Farouk Ahmed (Chief Executive); Abiodun Adeniji (Executive Director, Finance and Accounts); and Ogbugo Ukoha (Executive Director, Distributions Systems, Storage and Retail Infrastructure).

Farouk was a former Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.

The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, who read the nomination, said the President had premised his request on section 11 (3) of the Petroleum Industry Act.

“In accordance with the provision of Section 11(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, I hereby forward for confirmation by the senate the under listed nominees as board members for the Upstream Regulatory Commission.

“In order to fast-track the process of the establishment of the commission, the senate is rightly requested to confirm the nominees in the usual expeditious manner,” the letter which was read on the floor of the Senate had stated.

The PIA provides that the Authority would regulate the midstream and downstream petroleum operations in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer will be supported by seven Executive Directors to handle the day-to-day administration of the Authority.

The Authority will take over the current functions of the DPR, with respect to the regulation of technical and commercial activities in the downstream and midstream petroleum operations.

Furthermore, the Authority will be saddled with the responsibilities of providing pricing and tariff frameworks for natural gas in midstream and downstream gas operation.

It will also provide pricing Tarrif for petroleum products based on fair market basis, thus, absorbing the current responsibilities and functions of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.

For the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission, the President gave the nominees for confirmation as Isa Modibo (Chairman); Gbenga Komolafe (Chief Executive); Hassan Gambo (Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts); and Rose Ndong (Executive Commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management).

THE WHISTLER had reported that if confirmed as the Chief Executive of Commission, Komolafe would serve for a period of five years.

The position is also renewable once for another five years according to the Act.

The Commission will take over the current functions of the Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR), with respect to the regulation of technical, operational, commercial and environmental activities associated with upstream petroleum operations.