…..As Akpabio Promises Swift Action
By Haruna Salami
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has requested the Senate to confirm three key nominees for ministerial and regulatory appointments, in line with constitutional and statutory provisions.
The requests, read on the floor of the Senate by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, include the nomination of Mr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as Mr. Rabiu Abdullahi Umar as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
In separate letters, Tinubu urged the Senate to give expeditious consideration to the nominations, stressing compliance with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for the ministerial appointments, and Section 41(6) of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 for the NMDPRA chief executive role.
Tegbe, a fiscal and economic reform expert with over 35 years of experience, previously served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he led major governance and institutional reform initiatives.
His nomination follows the resignation of former Minister Adebayo Adelabu, who left office to pursue a governorship ambition in Oyo State.
Ambassador Enikanolaiye’s nomination was also forwarded under the same constitutional provision for ministerial confirmation.
For the petroleum regulatory agency, the President nominated Umar to lead the NMDPRA, with the Senate referring the request to its Committee on Downstream Petroleum and Gas for further legislative scrutiny.
Akpabio, in his remarks, assured that the Senate would give the requests urgent attention, noting their importance to governance and the stability of the petroleum sector.
Screening and confirmation of the nominees are expected to commence in the coming days.
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