By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has confirmed the appointment of four nominees as members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) board.
The confirmation was made during the plenary on Thursday, October 7, shortly before the presentation of the 2022 budget at the joint session of the National Assembly.
It also followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Downstream Petroleum Sector.
The nominees are Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan – Chairman; Mr Farouk A. Ahmed – Chief Executive Officer; Mr Abiodun Adeniji – Executive Director, Finance and Accounts; and Mr Ogbugo Ukoha – Executive Director, Distributions System, Storage and Retail Infrastructure.
The committee led by its Chairman, Mr Sabo Mohammed, who presented the report, said their appointments to the NMDPRA board were in accordance with the provisions of section 34(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.
He informed his colleagues that the committee did not receive any petition against their nominations, adding that they were cleared by security agencies and possess the Code of Conduct Acknowledgement Slips.
Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari asked the Senate to drop the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr Sarki Auwalu, who was initially nominated as the Chief Executive Officer of the NMDRPA board.
Mr Buhari’s request was contained in a letter dated September 28, 2021, and read by the Senate President, Mr Ahmad Lawan. He had said in the letter that he was replacing the DPR boss with Mr Farouk Ahmed.
President Buhari had in a previous letter dated September 16, 2021, requested the upper chamber to confirm Mr Auwalu alongside the three others as board members of the Authority.
However, the President, in the new request, sought the replacement of Mr Auwalu with Mr Ahmed as Chief Executive Officer.
He explained that the replacement request was duly in accordance with the provision of Section 34 (3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
