On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu asked the 10th Senate to screen and confirm Taiwo Oyedele as the new Minister of State for Finance and former senator representing Rivers South-East, Magnus Abe, as Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

New Telegraph reports that Oyedele is expected to replace Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite if the nomination receives legislative approval from the National Assembly.

The President’s requests were contained in two separate letters read during Tuesday’s plenary session by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.

In his correspondence, President Tinubu explained that the nomination of Oyedele formed part of ongoing adjustments within the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

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However, prior to his nomination, Oyedele, who hails from Ikaram in Akoko, Ondo State, served as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, where he led efforts aimed at restructuring Nigeria’s tax framework.

The 50-year-old economist is widely known for his background in economics, accounting and public policy.

Oyedele previously spent over two decades at PwC, joining the firm in 2001 and later rising to become Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

In a separate request, Tinubu asked the Senate to screen and confirm Magnus Abe as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission following the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe.

The President also nominated Paul Yaro Jezhi, a former Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Kaduna State, and Sunday Adebayo Babalola, a former deputy director at the now-defunct Department of Petroleum Resources, to serve as non-executive commissioners.

After the letters were read on the floor of the chamber, Senate President Akpabio referred the nominations to the Senate Committee on Petroleum Upstream for further legislative consideration.

Details later…