By Naomi Sharang
Abuja, Dec. 19, 2025 (NAN)
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), a key socio-cultural body representing Nigeria’s oil-rich but impoverished Niger Delta region, has expressed strong support for the federal government’s ongoing reforms in the nation’s critical oil and gas sector. This endorsement, however, comes with a renewed and urgent call for the substantive inclusion of Niger Delta indigenes in strategic leadership and a comprehensive plan to address the region’s profound environmental crisis.
Addressing a news conference in Abuja, PANDEF’s National Chairman, Godknows Igali, described recent high-profile regulatory appointments as “decisive steps to reposition the industry for growth, stability, and global competitiveness.” He hailed President Bola Tinubu for making bold, well-considered appointments, framing them as a potential turning point for an industry long plagued by inefficiency, opacity, and underperformance.
Igali reserved particular praise for the appointment of Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), describing it as “putting a square peg in a square hole.” He contextualized this by highlighting Eyesan’s extensive credentials as an accomplished economist and former Executive Vice President (Upstream) at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. “Her proven competence, diligence, and impactful leadership place her in a strong position to drive the far-reaching reforms mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA),” Igali stated. He further noted that the appointment served as a powerful symbol of merit-based governance and an inspiration for women in the male-dominated energy industry.
The forum also commended the appointment of Saidu Mohammed as CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). PANDEF interpreted the placement of capable leaders across all three sector segments—upstream, midstream, and downstream—as a “deliberate presidential strategy” to holistically reposition the industry for a “quantum leap” into the future. Igali expressed optimism that these appointments signaled an intent for comprehensive and sustained reform, noting that consistent policy direction is critical for the sector to maintain its central, albeit evolving, role in the national economy.
However, PANDEF swiftly pivoted from praise to a core regional demand. The forum renewed its longstanding call for greater inclusion of Niger Delta professionals in strategic leadership positions across the petroleum industry, particularly within the NNPC and its subsidiaries. Igali argued with palpable emphasis that the Niger Delta, as the geographic and economic hub of Nigeria’s oil production for over six decades, naturally hosts the nation’s highest concentration of seasoned oil and gas professionals. “It is both an issue of equity and operational intelligence,” he asserted. “The people who bear the heaviest burden of production should have an authoritative voice in its management and governance. Their lived experience and technical expertise are invaluable assets currently underutilized at the highest decision-making levels.”
Beyond appointments, PANDEF placed urgent emphasis on the region’s environmental catastrophe. The forum urged the Federal Government to intensify and expand efforts far beyond the ongoing, slow-paced Ogoni clean-up project. Igali insisted on the need for a “comprehensive and sustained national environmental restoration programme,” backed by dedicated annual budgetary allocations, to tackle decades of pollution from oil spills and gas flaring. This ecological damage has devastated farmland, fisheries, and public health across thousands of communities. PANDEF’s position links good governance in the boardroom to justice on the ground, implying that true sector reform is incomplete without addressing its most damaging legacy in the host communities.
In essence, PANDEF’s statement is a strategic blend of support and pressure. It applauds technical competence in Abuja while demanding restorative justice and inclusive equity in the Niger Delta, framing both as inseparable pillars of a genuinely reformed and sustainable Nigerian oil industry. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
NNL/AMM
=========
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
