From Victor Osula, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, requested the Senate to screen and confirm Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance, replacing Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite.
The President also forwarded the nomination of former Rivers South-East senator, Magnus Abe, for confirmation as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The nominations were contained in separate letters read during plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who subsequently referred them to the relevant committees for further legislative action.
In his letter, Tinubu urged the Senate to consider and approve Oyedele’s appointment as part of ongoing adjustments within the Federal Executive Council. Until his nomination, Oyedele, from Ikaram in Akoko, Ondo State, served as chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, where he spearheaded initiatives to overhaul Nigeria’s tax system and enhance fiscal policy frameworks.
The 50-year-old economist, accountant, and public policy expert boasts extensive experience in finance and taxation. He spent 22 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), joining in 2001 and rising to the position of Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader. His professional track record underscores the depth of expertise he brings to the Finance Ministry.
Separately, the President requested the Senate to confirm Magnus Abe as chairman of NUPRC following the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe. Alongside Abe, Tinubu also forwarded the nominations of Paul Yaro Jezhi, a former Trade Union Congress chairman in Kaduna State, and Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former deputy director at the now-defunct Department of Petroleum Resources, as non-executive commissioners of the commission.
The Senate President has referred the nominations to the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) to carry out screening and make recommendations for confirmation. The legislative process will determine the speed at which these key appointments are ratified, signalling the government’s intent to strengthen fiscal and upstream petroleum regulatory leadership.
