By Amara Osei

Seven nominees for executive positions in agencies regulating Nigeria’s Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Sector (NMDPS) received a Senate warning on Thursday against administrative sabotage, inefficiency and a lack of transparency.

Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila of Kano South, chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream, delivered the warning during the screening, a pre-confirmation review, of all seven nominees for sector executive roles.

What did the Senate demand of the seven nominees?

Sumaila cautioned the nominees against permitting administrative bottlenecks, institutional inefficiencies or deliberate acts of sabotage to undermine government policies and programmes. He said the Senate would not tolerate practices capable of frustrating effective policy implementation under the nominees’ watch.

Sumaila 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.” The warning established a common threshold for all seven appointments: professional conduct, transparent administration and fidelity to federal-government policy.

The chairman set three expectations for the nominees: professionalism, integrity and accountability. He also told them to uphold the law, protect the public interest and faithfully implement federal policies and objectives within their respective mandates.

Sumaila then framed the governance stakes in national economic terms. He said: “Sabotaging public institutions and government policies is ultimately sabotaging the future and economic prosperity of Nigeria.”

His warning linked personnel conduct to policy delivery, because administrative failure could obstruct federal programmes just as deliberate sabotage could. The economic rationale rested on protecting petroleum-sector development, national development and economic prosperity.

Who is facing the Senate?

President Bola Tinubu forwarded the seven nominees to the Senate last week for confirmation. The nominations assign each candidate to a specific executive role within the sector’s regulatory agencies.

• Mr Abiodun A. Adeiji — Executive Director, Finance and Accounts.
• Mr Ogbugo Kalu Ukoha — Executive Director, Distribution, Systems Storage and Retailing Infrastructure.
• Dr Mustapha Lamorde — Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community.
• 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.
• Mrs Jumoke Gafar — Executive Director, Board Secretary and Legal Adviser.

The seven portfolios cover finance and accounts; distribution, systems storage and retail infrastructure; health, safety, environment and community; processing plants; installation, partnership and transportation infrastructure; economic regulation and strategic planning; corporate services and administration; and the board secretary and legal adviser. The allocation places responsibility for petroleum operations and regulatory administration among the seven appointees.

What does the warning mean for sector management?

The warning sets three linked standards for all seven appointments: administrative efficiency, transparent conduct and faithful implementation of federal policy. For Sumaila, the strategic logic was direct, because bottlenecks, institutional inefficiency or sabotage could frustrate government programmes and weaken effective implementation.

He described the assignment ahead as challenging, while expressing confidence that patriotism, competence, integrity and dedication would enable the seven nominees to contribute to petroleum-sector development. He urged them to discharge their responsibilities in ways that promote national development and economic prosperity.

All seven nominees appeared before the Senate committee as part of the process leading to their confirmation. The screening placed professional accountability at the centre of the committee chairman’s scrutiny, without finalizing the seven appointments.

Confirmation by the Senate remains the next formal step after the committee screening. Each of the seven candidates must complete that process before taking the executive roles for which President Tinubu nominated them.