President Bola Tinubu has nominated six executive directors to lead strategic departments of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The nomination combines three returning officials and three new nominees in a leadership structure covering finance, petroleum distribution, infrastructure development, economic regulation and corporate administration. They will serve five-year terms if approved by the Senate.
Ogbugo Kalu Ukoha, who is widely referred to as a ‘son of Aba’, oversees distribution systems, storage and retailing infrastructure, a role central to the movement of petroleum products from processing facilities and import terminals to consumers.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1991, where he studied Law, before moving on to the Nigerian Law School in 1999.
Ukoha has been the executive director overseeing distribution since October 2021, after he first assumed the position. Before this role, he was a director at ESCN Limited, a law publishing firm based in Abuja.
Mustapha Lamorde heads health, safety, environment and community. He brings more than two decades of experience in the oil and gas industry.
He earned his undergraduate degree in 2001 from the University of Jos, where he studied Geology and Mining. He studied further at Robert Gordon University, Scotland, where he earned his Master’s in Oil and Gas Engineering.
Lamorde began his career with Geoservices International as a drilling data engineer in the United Kingdom North Sea before joining Shell as a petroleum engineer.
He was with Shell for about 12 years, where he worked on exploration, drilling, development and production management operations for deepwater projects across different markets.
His experience in technical and operational aspects of petroleum production provides a foundation for his regulatory responsibilities, which include ensuring that midstream and downstream petroleum activities meet health, safety and environmental standards.
Abiodun Adeniji is among the pioneer executive directors of NMDPRA, having been part of the authority’s inaugural leadership following its establishment under the PIA.
He heads the finance and accounts directorate, which is responsible for the financial management and accountability systems supporting the regulator’s operations.
Adeniji’s nomination for another term places him in charge of maintaining the financial systems of an authority whose responsibilities have expanded alongside changes in the petroleum industry.
Ogechukwu Modie is the regulator’s new economic regulations and strategic planning executive director. She brings a decade of experience across finance, management consulting, and strategic communications.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom.
Her career spans positions at Agusto and Co, Heirs Alliance, Nextzon Business Services and Makeda Fund Managers, where she gained experience in corporate finance, strategy consulting, mergers and acquisitions and private equity.
Modie moved into the petroleum industry in 2015 when she became chief of staff to the then Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a position that also involved supporting the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
She later served as senior special assistant to former President Muhammadu Buhari on Strategic Communications, leading the presidency’s Strategic Communications Unit.
Her nomination to head Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning brings her background in finance, policy development and institutional strategy to a directorate responsible for the economic and strategic dimensions of petroleum regulation.
Mobolaji Tajudeen Musa
Mobolaji Tajudeen Musa is the new executive director nominated to oversee Hydrocarbon Processing Plants, Installations and Transportation Infrastructure.
Musa joined NMDPRA as a non-executive director in February 2024. He maintained that position before his recent nomination as executive director. But before his role at the regulatory agency, he worked with MAEB Energy as a managing director, a position he has held since November 2020 to the present.
He earned his first degree in Chemistry at Lagos State University from 1984 to 1988, then pursued a postgraduate degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Ibadan.
His appointment comes as Nigeria’s refining landscape changes, especially as Dangote Petroleum Refinery and emerging modular refineries increase the need for effective technical regulation and infrastructure oversight.
Said Abutalib
Said Abutalib will head corporate services and administration as an executive director, supporting the authority’s institutional and administrative operations.
His appointment places him in charge of a directorate central to the regulator’s internal management and organisational administration.
The task ahead
The six nominees will oversee different but interconnected areas of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum industry.
Their responsibilities become increasingly important as domestic refining capacity expands and Africa’s most populous nation seeks to strengthen its position as a key supplier of refined petroleum products across the African continent.