President Tinubu picks Adelabu as Minister of Power, Lokpobiri as Min. State for Petroleum

Oredola Adeola

President Bola Tinubu has confirmed the portfolios for the 45 ministerial nominees who were recently appointed by the Senate, with the appointment of Adebayo Adelabu, as the Minister of Power, Heineken Lokpobiri, as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, while the name of the Minister of Petroleum Resources has been retained.

This was revealed in the list released by the Presidency on Wednesday

EnergyDay’s check showed that Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, was a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He recently gained attention as a politician, having contested as the Accord governorship candidate in Oyo State during the 2023 general elections.

Adelabu was born on September 28, 1970, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. He attended Ibadan Municipal Government primary school and Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan, before obtaining a first-class degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University.

Adelabu is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.

Prior to his political career, Adelabu was the Deputy Governor of Operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He is currently on the board of Oasis Insurance Plc and is an Associate Member at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

EnergyDay gathered that Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources who is from Bayelsa State, was the former Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Heineken Lokpobiri’s journey from the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to the Nigerian Senate and his subsequent appointment as a minister showcases his commitment to public service and his contributions to the development of Nigeria.

With his expertise in environmental rights and law, Lokpobiri has made significant contributions to the legislative process and has been a vocal advocate for the development of his constituency and the Niger Delta region as a whole.

Heineken Lokpobiri was born on March 3, 1967, Lokpobiri has had a diverse career, serving in various political positions and making notable contributions to the development of his constituency and the country as a whole.

Early Life and Education:

Lokpobiri was born and raised in Lagos, but hails from Bayelsa state. He obtained an LL.B (Hons) degree in 1994 from Rivers State University of Science and Technology in Port Harcourt.

He furthered his education and expertise in Environmental Rights and Environmental Law, earning a Ph.D. from Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom in 2015.

Political Career:

Lokpobiri’s political career began in 1999 when he became a member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, serving until 2003. During his time in the assembly, he held the position of speaker from June 1999 to May 2001.

. In 2007, he was elected to the Nigerian Senate, representing the Bayelsa West constituency. He served two terms in the Senate and was appointed to various committees, including Sports, Public Accounts, Police Affairs, Niger Delta, and Millennium Development Goals.

Contributions and Controversies

Lokpobiri made headlines in 2008 when, as chairman of the Senate Sports Committee, he issued a report blaming maladministration and lack of cooperation from the Director General of the National Sports Commission for Nigeria’s poor performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He also served as chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Transport, In 2009, he praised the Federal Government’s amnesty program in the Niger Delta, expressing hope that it would lead to a more stable environment for road construction in the region.