PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr. Mulisiu Oseni as the substantive Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), effectively dropping Abdullahi Ramat, whose name was earlier forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.
The appointment followed the confirmation of members of the reconstituted NERC Board by the Senate and marks the end of months of uncertainty surrounding the leadership of the electricity sector regulator.
The development was confirmed in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.
Oseni’s emergence as chairman signals a clear departure from the President’s earlier nomination of Ramat, a former Chairman of Ungogo Local Government Area in Kano State, who was named for the role in August 2025 following the exit of the immediate past chairman, Sanusi Garba.
News Point Nigeria reports that Ramat’s nomination quickly became controversial after he reportedly stormed the NERC headquarters in Abuja on August 8, accompanied by political associates and security personnel, even before his confirmation by the National Assembly.
Videos from the incident showed Ramat arriving at the commission’s office with an entourage, including a man dressed in military uniform standing behind him, sparking widespread criticism from power sector stakeholders and civil society groups.
Despite the controversy, Ramat was received at the NERC office by Oseni, who was then the Vice Chairman of the commission, at a brief handover ceremony. However, Ramat later left the premises following intense public backlash.
In the weeks that followed, the Senate Committee on Power declined to screen and confirm Ramat’s nomination, citing multiple petitions and complaints against him.
Supporters of the former nominee later alleged that senators had been paid $10 million to block his confirmation, a claim strongly denied by the Senate.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, described the allegation as baseless and misleading, explaining that the Senate’s decision was based on “a barrage of public and private complaints” concerning the nominee.
Despite protests by a Kano-based advocacy group, Grassroots Initiative Concept, urging the Senate to confirm Ramat, the nomination stalled indefinitely.
In Thursday’s statement, Onanuga announced that Oseni’s appointment as NERC Chairman took effect from December 1, 2025, and will last until the completion of his 10-year statutory tenure, 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, who joined NERC as a commissioner in January 2017, had been serving as Vice Chairman and automatically assumed the role of Acting Chairman after Sanusi Garba exited office in August.
The President also approved the appointment of Dr. Yusuf Ali as Vice Chairman of the Commission. Ali, first appointed as a commissioner in February 2022, 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 added.
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, as well as Aisha Mahmud, who is also serving a second term following her first appointment 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 beginning December 2025.
According to the Presidency, Animashaun is an energy economist with extensive experience in Nigeria’s power sector and most recently served as Executive Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
President Tinubu charged the newly reconstituted NERC Board to deepen reforms in the electricity sector and strengthen regulatory oversight in line with the Electricity Act, 2023.
He urged the commission 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.”