By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

President Bola Tinubu has written two letters to the Senate, seeking confirmation of 21 nominees as board members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in the first letter addressed to the Senate President, President Tinubu nominated Senator Magnus Abe to serve as the NUPRC board chair. Abe, who represented Rivers South East in the Senate for two terms, is a former NNPC board member and current chairman of the National Agency of the Great Green Wall.

Other nominees for the NUPRC board are Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi, a former Trade Union Congress (TUC) chairman in Kaduna State, and Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former deputy director of the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), which was abolished by the PIA in 2021. Both men will serve as non-executive commissioners.

President Tinubu also nominated executive commissioners to the board.

They are: Muhammed Sabo Lamido, executive commissioner for finance; Mr Edu Inyang, executive commissioner for Exploration and Acreage; Justin Ezeala, executive commissioner for economic regulation and strategic planning; and Henry Darlington Oki, executive commissioner for Development and Production.

Others are Indabawa Bashari Alka, executive commissioner for corporate services and administration; Mahmood Tijani, executive commissioner for health, safety and environment; and Ms Olayemi Adeboyejo, as secretary and legal adviser.

Recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Lamido and Adeboyejo in 2022, while President Tinubu appointed Alka in 2023. Inyang, Ezeala, the former managing director of Nigerian Gas Marketing Limited, Mahmood Tijani, Babalola and Jezhi are new appointees of President Tinubu.

In his second letter to the Senate, President Tinubu nominated Mr Adegbite Ebiowei Adeniji, a lawyer, as chairman of the NMDPRA board.

Adeniji has over 30 years of experience in energy and natural resources issues. He was a special technical adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum on upstream and gas until 2018.

He was a member of the Oil & Gas Policy team at the World Bank, which advised the Government of Nigeria on the reform and restructuring of the petroleum sector, including the development of the Strategic Gas Plan for Nigeria. He is currently the managing partner at ENR Advisory.

President Tinubu also nominated Chief Kenneth Kobani and Mrs Asabe Ahmed as non-executive members. Kobani was a former minister of state for trade under President Jonathan and secretary to the government of Rivers State, under Nyesom Wike.

Also nominated for confirmation are Abiodun Adeniji, executive director of finance; Francis Ogaree, executive director of hydrocarbon; Oluwole Adama, executive director of midstream and Downstream gas infrastructure; and Dr Mustapha Lamorde, executive director of Corporate Services and Administration. President Tinubu appointed Adama in 2024, while late President Buhari appointed Lamorde and Adeniji in 2021 and Ogaree in 2022.

Other members of the NMDPRA board, as proposed by President Tinubu, are Mr Yahaya Nasamu Yinusa, executive director, distribution systems; Adeyemi Murtala Aminu, executive director, corporate services; Ms Modie Ogechukwu, executive director, economic regulation and strategic planning; and Barrister Olawale Dawodu, as board secretary and legal adviser. Dawodu is an industry player and was, at a time, the Financial Reporting Manager at Exxon Nigerian subsidiaries.

The President urged the Senate to approve the nominees expeditiously.

The requests followed the recent appointment of chief executive officers (CEOs) for the two regulatory agencies.

The Senate had confirmed Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA toward the last days of December, 2025.

The President charged all the appointees and nominees to discharge their duties and responsibilities professionally as regulators of the oil and gas sectors.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A fiery war of ” words has erupted between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, following his warning to the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, to stay out of Rivers State politics.

During a “thank-you” visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area on Monday, Wike issued a stern caution to Basiru, accusing him of meddling in his state affairs.

“Let me warn those who come to Rivers State because you have heard we have N600bn—you come here, collect, and open your mouth to talk anyhow,” Wike declared.

“Take this message to your National Secretary: Leave Rivers State alone. You have to be careful with the statements you make.”

In a sharp and direct response, Basiru fired back hours later in a personally signed statement. He questioned Wike’s authority to interfere in APC affairs, pointing out that the minister is not a member of the ruling party.

“My advice to him is that he should resign as Minister and face his obsession with Rivers politics,” Basiru stated.

He asserted his constitutional role as APC National Secretary extends nationwide and dismissed Wike’s remarks as intimidation.

“From my record, he isn’t a member of APC. I don’t see which authority or temerity he has to dabble into APC affairs,” Basiru said.

“I am one of the young Nigerians that confronted military dictatorship. I can’t be bullied by anybody, no matter how highly placed.”

Basiru also strongly denied any interest in Rivers State funds, labeling the suggestion as baseless and inconsistent with his record of integrity.

The clash underscores the ongoing tension between federal appointees and party officials, with Wike’s deep involvement in Rivers politics continuing to spark cross-party controversy even while serving as a minister under an APC-led government.

Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has approved a merit-based promotion of 1,500 members of staff as part of its ongoing commitment to staff welfare, motivation, and building a performance-driven workforce.

In a statement released by the company’s spokesperson, Sani Bala Sani, it was highlighted that the promotion exercise is the most significant in the company’s history, underscoring KEDCO’s renewed commitment to human capital development as a critical pillar of its ongoing transformation agenda under the current core investor-Future Energies Africa (FEA) and management.

According to the statement, the exercise followed a comprehensive performance appraisal process and aligns with best practices in corporate governance, fairness, and transparency. It was designed to recognize deserving staff who met the eligibility criteria in line with the company’s conditions of service, and have demonstrated dedication, competence, and resilience in supporting the company’s operational turnaround and improved service delivery.

Speaking on the development, KEDCO’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Abubakar Shuaibu Jimeta described the move as a strategic investment in people, noting that the staff remain the company’s greatest asset.

“This promotion exercise is not just a reward for hard work; it is a statement of intent. At KEDCO, we are building a culture where performance is recognized, excellence is encouraged, and our people are empowered to deliver value to our customers and stakeholders,” the MD/CEO said.

The development forms part of broader workforce reforms aimed at boosting productivity, enhancing customer experience, and positioning KEDCO to meet the evolving demands of the power sector. It also reflects the company’s resolve to foster industrial harmony and sustain a motivated workforce capable of driving operational efficiency.

In a statement by Sani Bala Sani Head corporate communications KEDCO reaffirms its commitment to continuous staff development, capacity building, and improved welfare, stressing that a motivated workforce remains central to achieving reliable, efficient, and customer-focused electricity distribution across its franchise area.