The Senate confirmed four nominees for members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority on Thursday. They are Chairman Idaere Gogo Ogan, Chief Executive Officer Farouk A. Ahmed, Executive Director Finance and Accounts Abiodun Adeniji, and Executive Director Distributions System, Storage and Retail Infrastructure Ogbugo Ukoha.

The confirmation of the nominees followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Downstream Petroleum Sector during plenary, which was presented by its Chairman, Senator Sabo Mohammed.

According to his presentation, their appointments comply with section 34(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021. He said the Committee had not received any petitions challenging their nominations. They had also been cleared by the Nigerian Police Force’s Department of State Services (DSS) and had the Code of Conduct Acknowledgement Slips.

“The nominees possess the technical knowledge and professional expertise to be Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive Directors of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority,” he added.

The Nigerian Senate spokesperson, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act will help stabilise the Nigerian economy, particularly the Oil and Gas sector. “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.

Also commenting, the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, 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.

“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.”