President Muhammadu Buhari on September 16 forwarded two letters to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.

By Taiwo-Hassan Adebayo


There are simmering concerns in Nigeria’s petroleum sector and the National Assembly over the appointments to the two regulatory agencies established by the Petroleum Industry Act, insiders have told PREMIUM TIMES, with fears that powerful individuals are exploiting access to President Muhammadu Buhari to capture the country’s more important upstream sector.

President Muhammadu Buhari on September 16 forwarded two letters to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, seeking the confirmation of nominees to the boards of Upstream Regulatory Commission and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority.

But two lawmakers separately told PREMIUM TIMES that there are concerns that the competencies and backgrounds of the nominee chief executives are unfitting for their respective agencies.

Sarki Auwalu, currently the Director of Department of Petroleum Resources, with decades of upstream experience, is nominated as the chief executive of the midstream and downstream commission, and Gbenga Komolafe, Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of the NNPC, as the chief executive of the upstream commission.

Mr Komolafe had previously held senior managerial positions at Pipelines and Petroleum Marketing Company (PPMC), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), the agencies merged with the downstream section of the old DPR to form the new midstream and downstream authority.

In addition to his former role at the NNPC’s crude marketing, Mr Komolafe, insiders said, is more suitable for the midstream and downstream authority. As PPRA’s operations general manager, he was credited for having successfully coordinated a seamless supply of petroleum products nationwide with multiplier sectorial effects in the Nigerian economy.

Mr Auwalu, on the other hand, is an upstream specialist, and in that area, as DPR director, established acreage management strategy and ultimate beneficial owners’ register for petroleum assets. The agency under him also launched the National Improved Oil Recovery Centre and added 3.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in reserve; recovered outstanding royalties of over $800 million owed by independent producing companies; and implemented the deepwater and inland basin act and generated additional $280 million for the government.


Yet, Mr Auwalu and Mr Komolafe were nominated for positions that do not match their respective backgrounds and competencies, our sources said.

“The president wants a round peg in a round hole,” a source familiar with the development said. “But he was manipulated and you can critically review the two letters.”

In the two letters, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, “Commission” was used in the closing prayers, whereas the PIA in sections 4(1) and 29(1) says that the upstream agency shall be known as “the commission” and the midstream and downstream agency as “the authority.”

“They perhaps knew the limitations of the president and they knew seeing ‘commission’ in the letter bearing Auwalu’s name would make him assume it was the upstream body,” one source said.

Behind the shenanigans, our sources said, are connected individuals led by Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf, regarded as one of the closest aides of Mr Buhari. Another person mentioned is Abubakar Funtua, son of late Isa Funtua, a close ally of the president. They are believed to be cooperating with a senior petroleum official and a businessman.

They are said to be bent on controlling the upstream sector, which covers the management of petroleum reserves and installations, and exploration, production, and development activities within onshore, frontier, shallow and deepwater offshore acreages as well as all the licences and commercial regulations for the upstream purposes.

However, the Sabiu Yusuf-led group is said to be “uncomfortable” with Mr Auwalu, who is said to have exhibited an “unyielding” attitude in handling regulatory matters.

“An example is the Addax (oilfield) licence issue in which DPR was overruled after having earlier revoked their licence for not meeting agreed targets,” an insider said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the NNPC launched a blistering tackle on its sister agency, DPR, with a strong appeal to Mr Buhari to reverse DPR’s revocation of the Addax’ OMLs and reject a reallocation to another company.

Femi Adesina, a spokesperson for President Buhari, did not answer calls placed to seek comment for this report.

Meanwhile, an official close to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the minister was miffed by the development as he was not carried along in the process leading to the nominations.

NNPC spokesperson, Garbadeen Mohammed, did not answer calls seeking his comment for this story.

A member of the Senate upstream committee, Phillip Aduda, said his committee would consider the qualifications of the nominees when they appear for confirmation hearing to determine an outcome.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/business-news/486864-buharis-men-plot-capture-of-nigerias-petroleum-sector-with-controversial-appointments.html


Lalasticlala

Islie:



President Muhammadu Buhari on September 16 forwarded two letters to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.





https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/business-news/486864-buharis-men-plot-capture-of-nigerias-petroleum-sector-with-controversial-appointments.html


Lalasticlala

....

R.I.P......Nigeria

[img]https://media./images/cf63113547330421d365a9394234ba75/tenor.gif[/img]

In his ordinate quest for the elevation of ethno-religious supremacist, Buhari always goes with nepotism which in attendant births incompetence, breeds corruption, causes career stagnation of qualified persons and destroys productivity.

They are said to be bent on controlling the upstream sector, which covers the management of petroleum reserves,?installations, exploration, production, and development activities within onshore.

Frontier, shallow and deepwater offshore acreages as well as all the licences and commercial regulations for the upstream purposes.

People who know nothing about petroleum striving to head the petroleum industry because of someone's corrupt influence.

Major General Buhari awarded licences of over 60 Oil wells/blocs to unknown characters within the last 6 years and openly decreed that the beneficiaries should be kept secret and The Nigerian press kept mute! Nigerias Oil and gas fields flagrantly awarded to cronies who might not even be Nigerians. I wouldn't be surprised if folks from Mali and Mauritania got bigger chunks. It's a bazaar... Under a socalled democratic environment, the president of a country will whimsically auction off his country's top assets and everyone is quiet..

Most of these oil blocs are offshore. And nobody goes there to know who is busy scooping Nigerias oil. This is a man that claims to be fighting corruption. You hate meat but you like to share meat with your teeth.. Imagine if all these happened under Jonathan, a man from an oil producing state! Is it a coincidence that Britain that was talking about giving asylum to some IPOB elements all of a sudden surrendered Kanu to Buhari in Kenya after the oil bazaar? These are the kind of dirty deals that have kept Nigeria together for the gains of foreigners while millions of Nigerians wallow in abject penury..

Ok

Allof of problems for the petroleum industry

Subsidy
Leadership
Productivity

All round!

Buhari has handed over Nigerian oil wells to his cronies. Who doesn't know that?

I believe that there is no man on earth that can unravel the corruption/secrets in NNPC
The man/woman has not been born yet!

Please isn't there a way to block someone on nairaland? I am tired of these spamming gifs by NwaNimo1.

Na dea time nothing last forever

To

B

, sarrki......

I doubt this report ooh

U guys should say something jareh

Powergrabbers he mentioned in his UN speech of which he is chief.

That's why these Northern parasites wants to all die for one Nigeria. Oil in the South is Nigerias oil but gold in the North is Northern gold. Mumu people

As usual

Dem sha won cripple this country. God no go gree.

It's Buhari and you people are still surprised by his appointments.

You guys are just sounding like jokers.

Kukuma wait make 2023 reach and we reconnect this country to the path of success

It is very important for the southern people to go through the content of these letters and the proposed changes and make sure there is nothing untoward.

No changes were proposed when stakeholders were clamouring for changes but other changes are forwarded easily to be implemented.

This is an afterthought change that should be analysed carefully line by line. I sense that they will be some nefarious clauses that will be sectional and not National interest.

The last oil blocs awarded, who are the beneficiaries? Why is the list top secret if it is not shrouded in corruption?

You people were caught sleeping once. If you are caught sleeping again, be ready to be in perpetual slavery.

Ride on bubu
Since southerners have decided to be eternally fo0lish.

This got to show that, we are not really one as a nation and also that PMB has totally destroyed Nigeria with nepotism.

I so much believe that it's not possible for the government to nominate the 2 if they are not experienced and capable of handling the positions because of the sensitivity of the task ahead. You don't condemn everything because you hate the government due to fake news in the society rather pray for the success of the nominees. Congratulations to them

That idiot timipre silver was busy praising Buhari during d signing of PIB.....time will them

The onus is now on the National Assembly to closely scrutinize the nominees and rejig it as appropriate!

2023 is around the corner..

Niger delta people,are you people under a spell ? Abi na mumu dey worry una ? How can you guys sit and watch fulanis flagrantly take over ur God given Resorces and shear all the juicy positions to the sons of caliphate and futa jallon leaving you with only pipeline security jobs .chai !. I never see people wey mumu like Niger Delta pple. They cheat you for PIB,shortchange you for PIA,deny you ownership of oil wells from ur backyard and shear it to faceless and unidentified individuals from the north and the sahel region,deny you decent employments from the sector . Una mumu never do?

I hope the dull and mumu GEJ dey see how things is done.

This is why I will never support a weakling like Osinbanjo to become the president.