President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to screen and confirm Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance, while forwarding the nomination of former Rivers South-East Senator Magnus Abe for appointment as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The requests are part of ongoing adjustments within the Federal Executive Council and other strategic government institutions, aimed at strengthening economic management and enhancing oversight of the petroleum sector.
In addition, nominations were submitted for other positions within the regulatory commission, broadening the list of candidates awaiting legislative scrutiny and confirmation by the upper chamber.
The president conveyed the requests in separate letters read during Tuesday’s plenary session by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who subsequently referred the nominations to the Senate Committee on Petroleum Upstream for further consideration.
In his letter, Tinubu urged the Senate to confirm Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance, replacing Doris Uzoka-Anite, as part of efforts to reposition fiscal and economic policy implementation.
He also requested Senate approval for Magnus Abe as chairman of the NUPRC, following the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe, while Paul Yaro Jezhi and Sunday Adebayo Babalola were nominated as non-executive commissioners of the commission.
Before his nomination, Oyedele, a native of Ikaram in the Akoko area of Ondo State, served as chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, leading initiatives to restructure Nigeria’s taxation framework.
The 50-year-old economist, accountant, and public policy specialist spent 22 years at PwC, joining the firm in 2001 and eventually rising to become Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.
