Follow Us on Google
• Describes Eyesan’s appointment as CEO of NUPRC as masterstroke.
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has thrown its weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, describing them as a “quantum leap into the future” while demanding greater representation for Niger Delta professionals in top roles.
Address a press conference in Abuja on Friday, PANDEF‘s National Chairman Godknows Igali, singled out the appointment of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) as a masterstroke. “This particular appointment could be described as putting a square peg in a square hole,” Igali declared, praising Eyesan as “one of Nigeria’s most competent professionals in the oil and gas sector.” He highlighted her tenure as Executive Vice President (Upstream) at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), noting that “in all her professional life, she has always left a mark of diligence, excellence and impact, wherever she served.”
Igali extended similar acclaim to Saidu Mohammed’s appointment as CEO of the Nigerian Mid-Stream and Downstream Regulatory Authority. “The news of the recent reforms in the regulatory arms of Nigeria’s oil sector has come to PANDEF and indeed the entire Niger Delta with great appreciation and expectation,” he stated. “Mr. President is set to take the Nigerian oil and gas sector on a quantum leap into the future.”
The forum expressed optimism that these changes signal sustained holistic reforms, essential for the industry’s role “in the common economic interest of all Nigerians and plac[ing] Nigeria as a dominant player in the global energy architecture.” Yet, PANDEF urged Tinubu to go further by elevating more Niger Delta indigenes—where “the country has the highest number of experienced professionals in the sector”—into NNPC leadership and beyond.
Environmental cleanup emerged as a key demand by PANDEF. “We look forward to sustained efforts of the Federal Government in putting in place a robust programme for the environmental remediation of the Niger Delta,” Igali emphasized. “The Federal Government must go beyond Ogoni Clean-up to ensure that there is budgetary provision on annual basis to clean up the damaged environments of the Niger Delta in a sustained manner.”
PANDEF also revived calls for modular refineries in the region, referencing a 2018 government pledge. “Government had committed itself to setting up a Modular Refinery Development Fund, similar to the Solid Minerals Development Fund,” Igali reminded. “This must be urgently looked into and encouraged as a way of carrying more host communities along in implementing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), creating more economic activities in the Niger Delta and ensuring that the sector has greater stability for the overall good of the country.”
Other News
As the apex body for host communities, PANDEF pledged collaboration. “PANDEF reaffirms its commitment to working closely with Federal and State governments in mobilising our people to ensure that the right enabling environment exists for this important sector to continue to play its deserved role,” Igali concluded.
