President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr. Mulisiu Oseni as the Chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) following the Senate’s confirmation of members of the commission’s reconstituted board, as opposed to Abdullahi Ramat, whose name was initially sent to the Senate in August for confirmation. According to a statement released on Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, the president's special assistant on information and strategy, Oseni's appointment began on December 1, 2025, and will continue until the end of his ten-year term in accordance with the Electricity Act, 2023. After Sanusi Garba, the previous chairman of the commission, left in August, Oseni took over as acting chairman.
On August 7, Ramat, a former chairman of Kano State's Ungogo Local Government Area, was put forward for the role. However, due to public outcry and petitions, his candidacy stopped in the Senate.
The 39-year-old was criticised for showing up at the NERC offices in Abuja with security guards and political connections to take office prior to Senate approval. Lawmakers and industry stakeholders were alarmed by the move, and he later left the premises after receiving negative publicity.
Ramat's candidacy was rejected by the Senate Committee on Power due to complaints and petitions against him. The Senate rejected claims made by some of his followers that senators were bought off to prevent the confirmation.
In addition to announcing the most recent appointments, the presidency appointed Dr. Yusuf Ali as NERC's vice chairman. Ali took over as commissioner on December 1, 2025, after being appointed in February 2022. He will continue to serve until the end of his first term.
Dr. Chidi Ike is still serving his first term on the restructured NERC board, along with Nathan Shatti, Dafe Akpeneye, and Aisha Mahmud, all of whom are in their second terms.
Beginning in December 2025, Dr. Fouad Animashaun will serve his first term on the commission. According to the statement, his most recent positions were executive commissioner and chief executive officer of the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The new board was tasked by Tinubu with carrying out the Electricity Act "in both letter and spirit" and expanding power sector reforms.