President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Mulisiu Oseni as Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, following the confirmation of the commission’s board members by the Senate.
Oseni’s appointment indicates that Tinubu has dropped Abdullahi Ramat, whose name he had initially sent to the Senate for confirmation in August.
The PUNCH reports that Ramat, a former Chairman of the Ungogo Local Government Area in Kano State, was nominated for the NERC chairmanship position by Tinubu on August 7, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. His nomination came when the immediate past chairman, Sanusi Garba, left office.
The 39-year-old Ramat had stormed the Abuja headquarters of NERC to take over the mantle of leadership without waiting for confirmation by the National Assembly.
He was escorted by political associates and security officers, including a man in military uniform seen in videos standing behind him, raising concerns among operators and stakeholders. Ramat was received by Oseni at a handover ceremony held at the NERC office in Abuja on August 8.
However, he later left the scene following public criticism of his sudden assumption of office.
Ramat waited for weeks, but the Senate Committee on Power refused to confirm his nomination, citing several petitions against him.
Recall that there were allegations from some of his loyalists that the Senate was paid $10m to stop the nominee’s confirmation. Members of a Kano-based civil advocacy group, Grassroots Initiative Concept, also staged a protest at the National Assembly, urging the Senate to urgently confirm Ramat’s appointment.
However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, described the $10m allegation as baseless. According to media reports, Adaramodu explained that the Senate decided to suspend Ramat’s screening and confirmation due to “a barrage of public and private complaints” raised against his nomination.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Thursday, Onanuga announced Oseni’s appointment. Oseni was the vice chairman of the commission and became the acting chairman when the former chairman left office in August.
According to the statement, Oseni’s appointment as NERC chairman took effect from December 1, 2025, and will run until the completion of his 10-year tenure at the commission, in line with the Electricity Act, 2023.
“His appointment as chairman took effect from 1 December 2025 and shall subsist until the completion of his 10-year tenure at the commission, in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2023,” the statement read.
Oseni joined the commission as a commissioner in January 2017. The President also approved the appointment of Dr Yusuf Ali as vice chairman of the commission. Ali was first appointed as a commissioner in February 2022 and assumed his new role on December 1, 2025.
“His designation as Vice Chairman took effect on 1 December 2025 and shall remain in effect until the completion of his first term,” the statement said.
Other members of the reconstituted NERC Board include Mr Nathan Shatti and Mr Dafe Akpeneye, both serving second terms after their initial appointments in January 2017. Aisha Mahmud is also serving a second term, having first been appointed in December 2020.
Dr Chidi Ike, first appointed in February 2022, continues his first term as commissioner, while Dr Fouad Animashaun joins the commission for his first term, effective December 2025.
On Animashaun, the statement noted that “he is an energy economist with extensive experience in the Nigerian power sector and most recently served as Executive Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission.”
President Tinubu charged the reconstituted Board to “deepen and consolidate the ongoing transformation of Nigeria’s power sector, in strict alignment with the letter and spirit of the Electricity Act, 2023.
