Senate to confirm Tegbe, Enikanolaiye as ministers

The Senate is expected to screen Engr. Joseph Tegbe and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye for confirmation as ministers of the Federal Republic, following a request by President Bola Tinubu.

The request was contained in a letter read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, alongside another seeking legislative approval for the appointment of Rabiu Abdullahi Umar as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Invoking Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to appoint ministers subject to Senate confirmation, Tinubu urged the upper chamber to give the nominations expedited consideration.

Engr. Joseph Tegbe, who was nominated last week as Minister of Power, is expected to step into the role following the resignation of Adebayo Adelabu, who left office to pursue the Oyo State governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.

Tegbe, like Adelabu, is from Oyo State and brings to the role more than 35 years of experience across the public and private sectors, with a strong background in fiscal and economic reforms.

He previously served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he led key assignments in fiscal policy reform, institutional restructuring, governance improvement and investment advisory. He has also worked extensively with public institutions and private organisations on regulatory frameworks and strategic reforms.

Until his nomination, Tegbe was the Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), coordinating bilateral cooperation initiatives between Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China.

In a separate development, Rabiu Abdullahi Umar’s nomination as NMDPRA chief executive was referred to the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) for screening.

The Senate is expected to further consider the ministerial nominations at the Committee of the Whole before granting approval.