•• Forward 21 Names to Senate for Confirmation on Key Oil and Gas Regulatory Boards
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Mr. Sunday Adebayo Babalola, an indigene of Kwara State, to serve as a Non-Executive Commissioner on the board of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The nomination was part of a list of 21 names forwarded to the Senate on Monday, January 5, 2026, for confirmation to the boards of the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The nomination of Mr. Babalola, a former Deputy Director of the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), is one of the new appointments made by President Tinubu to the NUPRC board.
Mr. Babalola brings a wealth of experience from his time in the petroleum sector, having served in a key capacity at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the regulatory body that was responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of the petroleum industry before the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021.
As a Non-Executive Commissioner on the NUPRC board, Mr. Babalola will be involved in providing oversight and strategic guidance for the regulation of the upstream activities of the Nigerian petroleum industry, covering exploration, development, and production.
Mr. Babalola joins several other high-profile nominees whose names were sent to the Senate for confirmation in the first of the two letters from the President, with Senator Magnus Abe from Rivers State to serve as Chairman.
Others are;
* Non-Executive Commissioner: Paul Jezhi (Kaduna)
* Non-Executive Commissioner: Sunday Babalola (Kwara State)
* Executive Commissioner (Finance): Muhammed Sabo Lamido
* Executive Commissioner (Exploration & Acreage): Edu Inyang
* Executive Commissioner (Economic Regulation & Strategic Planning): Justin Ezeala
* Executive Commissioner (Development & Production): Henry Darlington Oki
President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, urged the Senate in a statement issued on Monday to give the requests for confirmation expedited approval to ensure the regulatory bodies are fully constituted and functional.
NUPRC is responsible for regulating the upstream sector of the petroleum industry (exploration and production), while the NMDPRA regulates the midstream and downstream sectors (processing, transportation, distribution, and marketing).