The Senate has warned newly appointed executive directors in Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum regulatory institutions against administrative sabotage, institutional inefficiency and lack of transparency, declaring that agencies frustrating President Bola Tinubu’s petroleum reforms would no longer be tolerated.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, gave the warning on Thursday during the screening of seven nominees for executive director positions in relevant petroleum sector agencies.
Sumaila, who expressed concern over practices capable of undermining government policies and weakening regulatory institutions, said some agencies were not doing enough to support the actualisation of the President’s vision for the petroleum industry.
He warned the nominees that deliberate administrative bottlenecks, institutional inefficiencies and non-compliance with established regulations would attract the committee’s attention.
“Some agencies are simply not helping Mr President in the actualisation of his vision for the petroleum sector. This must stop,” he declared.
The senator stressed that the nominees must demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability, insisting that their primary responsibility was to uphold the law, protect public interest and faithfully implement government policies within their respective mandates.
He said, “Under our watch, we will not tolerate administrative sabotage, lack of transparency, inefficiency or any conduct that undermines the effective implementation of government policies.
“Sabotaging public institutions and government policies is ultimately sabotaging the future and economic prosperity of Nigeria,” he warned.
Beyond institutional accountability, the committee chairman challenged the nominees to ensure that petroleum regulation translated into tangible relief for Nigerians struggling with the rising cost of petroleum products and its ripple effects on transportation, food prices and other essential commodities.
He said the country’s petroleum reforms, although designed to reposition the industry, strengthen the economy and guarantee long-term energy sustainability, had imposed significant economic pressures on households and businesses.
Consequently, he urged the incoming executive directors to look beyond routine enforcement of regulations and develop practical, sustainable measures capable of cushioning the effects of the reforms on ordinary Nigerians.
“Beyond the enforcement of regulations, you must explore practical and sustainable measures to mitigate the impact of these reforms on citizens and contribute meaningfully towards alleviating their economic hardship,” he said.
Sumaila maintained that petroleum regulation should not become a punitive exercise but must be progressive, transparent, responsive and people-centred.
He said the decisions of the nominees would have far-reaching implications for energy security, investment, competition and the general welfare of Nigerians, urging them to ensure that regulatory institutions remained independent in discharging their statutory responsibilities.
According to him, the midstream and downstream petroleum sectors must be repositioned to unlock investment opportunities, eliminate operational inefficiencies, encourage healthy competition and strengthen national energy security.
The committee chairman described the screening as part of the Senate’s constitutional responsibility to ensure that public appointments reflected the requisite professional qualifications, competence, experience and integrity.
He congratulated nominees whose contributions to the petroleum industry had earned them reappointments by President Tinubu, expressing the hope that their renewed mandates would translate into improved institutional performance.
The seven nominees, whose names were forwarded to the Senate by the President last week, include Mr Abiodun A. Adeiji, nominated as Executive Director, Finance and Accounts; Mr Ogbugo Kalu Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution, Systems Storage and Retailing Infrastructure; and Dr Mustapha Lamorde, Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community.
Others are Mr Mobolaji Tajudeen Musa, Executive Director, Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installation and Partnership and Transportation Infrastructure; Mrs Ogechukwu Olufunmilayo Modie, Executive Director, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning; Mr Said Abutalib, Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration; and Mrs Jumoke Gafar, Executive Director, Board Secretary and Legal Adviser.
Sumaila said the responsibilities before the nominees were enormous, particularly at a time when Nigerians expected improved performance and greater accountability from institutions regulating the petroleum industry.
He urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by the President through measurable improvements in their respective areas of responsibility.
“The responsibility before you is enormous, and the expectations of Nigerians are equally high,” he said.
He expressed confidence that patriotism, competence, integrity and dedication among the nominees would help build a petroleum sector capable of contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
Follow us on:
