By Muhammad Mamman
ABUJA—The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has asked the new leadership of Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory institutions to reduce import dependence.
On December 19, the senate confirmed the appointment of Eyesan as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) chief executive officer (CEO) — two days after President Bola Tinubu’s appointment.
The upper legislative chamber also confirmed Saidu Mohammed as the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
In a statement on Thursday, Muda Yusuf, the CEO of CPPE, commended Tinubu for the recent reset of the petroleum regulatory architecture through the appointment.
“These appointments present a strategic opportunity to reposition the oil and gas regulatory environment in line with the administration’s commitment to energy sovereignty, energy security, self-reliance and accelerated production growth,” he said.
“The new leadership of Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory institutions must urgently refocus sector priorities on reducing import dependence, expanding domestic capacity and catalysing investment across the entire oil and gas value chain.”
“Yusuf called for “strong and deliberate” support for domestic refining, saying it must be treated as “an immediate and non-negotiable priority”.
He said government policy should prioritise locally refined petroleum products through targeted fiscal, regulatory, and infrastructure support for both public and private refineries, while actively promoting new investments in refining capacity.
