…as Senate refers his external loan request to committee
The Nigerian Senate, Tuesday, received a formal request from President Muhammadu Buhari to confirm the nominations of Members of the Board of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The President in a letter to the upper chamber also sought the confirmation of the Board of the Upstream Regulatory Commission.
The letter was read during plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, requesting for the confirmation of the Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive Directors for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in accordance with the provision of Section 34(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
The nominees for confirmation into the Nigerian Petroleum Regulatory Board are: Idaere Gogo Ogan (Chairman); Engr. Sarki Auwalu (Chief Executive); Abiodun A. Adeniji (Executive Director, Finance and Accounts); and Ogbugo Ukoha (Executive Director, Distributions Systems, Storage and Retail Infrastructure).
Meanwhile in a separate letter dated September 16, 2021, President Buhari while relying on the provision of Section 11(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, requested the Senate to confirm the appointment of four nominees as Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive Commissioners to the Board of the Upstream Regulatory Commission.
The nominees for confirmation are: Isa Ibrahim Modibo (Chairman); Engr. Gbenga Komolafe (Chief Executive); Hassan Gambo (Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts); and Ms Rose Ndong (Executive Commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management).
According to the President, both requests for the confirmation of the board’s membership were made “in order to fast track the process for the establishment of the Commission.
The Nigerian Senate has also referred the request by President Muhammadu Buhari to approve $4.054bn and €710m fresh external loans to fund projects captured under the 2018-2021 borrowing plan to its committee on Local Debts and Foreign Loan for further legislative work.
The committee headed by Senator Clifford Ordia has two weeks to report back to Senate plenary
President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, referred the request after Majority Leader, Senator Abdullahi Yahaya, presented the request to the Senate for consideration, which was unanimously granted by the lawmakers.
President Buhari explained in the letter that, the amount would be used to fund Federal and States Government projects cut across key sectors such as Infrastructure, Health, Agriculture and Food Security, Energy, Education and Human Capital Development and COVID-19 Response efforts.
Meanwhile,the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had called on the National Assembly to reject the fresh request by President Muhammadu Buhari to borrow $4 billion and €710 million until the publication of details of spending of all loans obtained since May 29, 2015 by the government.
Other prominent Nigerian had also expressed concern about the growing debt crisis, the lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of loans that have been obtained, and the perceived unwillingness or inability of the National Assembly to vigorously exercise its constitutional duties to check the apparently indiscriminate borrowing by the government.
