By Our Correspondent
National News – President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to screen and confirm Mr. Taiwo Oyedele as the new Minister of State for Finance, replacing Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite.
The President also nominated former Rivers South-East senator, Magnus Abe, as the chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, following the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe.
The requests signal ongoing adjustments within the Federal Executive Council aimed at strengthening fiscal and regulatory leadership in Nigeria’s economic and energy sectors.
The nominations were conveyed to lawmakers in separate letters read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Tinubu urged the upper chamber to expedite the screening and confirmation process for the nominees, describing the appointments as important steps in reinforcing economic reforms and improving oversight in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
Until his nomination, Oyedele served as chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
In that role, he led efforts to restructure Nigeria’s tax system and develop policies designed to improve revenue generation and fiscal stability.
Oyedele, a native of Ikaram in Akoko, Ondo State, is widely regarded as an experienced economist, accountant, and public policy expert.
The 50-year-old spent over two decades at PwC, joining the firm in 2001 and rising to become Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.
His extensive experience in tax policy, fiscal governance, and economic reform has positioned him as a key figure in the administration’s push for comprehensive tax reforms and sustainable revenue strategies.
In a separate letter, the President nominated Magnus Abe as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
Abe, a former senator who represented Rivers South-East, is expected to bring legislative and governance experience to the leadership of the commission responsible for regulating Nigeria’s upstream petroleum operations.
Tinubu also forwarded the names of Paul Yaro Jezhi, a former chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Kaduna State, and Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former deputy director at the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources, for confirmation as non-executive commissioners.
Following the reading of the letters, Akpabio referred the nominations to the Senate Committee on Petroleum Upstream for further legislative consideration and action.
