Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh’s appointment to the position of Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) was officially confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday.
Following the transmission of his nomination by President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, asking for the consideration and confirmation of Dr. Ewalefoh as the DG of the ICRC in accordance with the ICRC Act, 2005, his confirmation is the next step after his successful screening by the Committee on Trade and Investment.
In his responses to queries last week, Dr. Ewalefoh gave the assurance that he was well-positioned to enhance investor trust in the PPP ecosystem and enhance the Commission’s operations. Additionally, he underlined how crucial it is for PPP agreements to contain a review clause in order to guarantee the adaptability and sustainability of projects.
He also stressed the need of all parties adhering to the terms and stipulations of contracts, as well as the integrity of contracts.
During the screening process, Sen. Sadik Umar, the Committee Chairman, praised the nominee for his extensive academic background, familiarity with infrastructure development and public-private partnerships, and depth of negotiation expertise in PPPs. Sen. Adams Oshomole, a former governor of Edo State, as well as other committee members praised the new director general.
Dr. Ewalefoh was commended on his confirmation by Senate President Godwill Akpabio, who also tasked him with “selflessly and sacrificially working to improve the renewed hope agenda of the current administration.” On behalf of the 10th Senate, let me congratulate him and wish them well in all of their endeavors.
With more than 20 years of experience in both government and international development organizations, Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh is a skilled professional with a focus on public-private partnerships, public policy, procurement, development, and public sector reforms.
This appointment is one of the most recent ones that Mr. President has made in order to carry out his Renewed Hope Agenda.
When he announced the appointment, the President tasked Dr. Ewalefoh with using his vast experience and exhibiting the utmost integrity and commitment to the management of the ICRC and the organization’s strategic goal of accelerating infrastructure investment in the country by creatively securing funding from the private sector.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Ewalefoh served as the Director of Operations for the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), overseeing the Public Private Partnership Resource Department (P3RD) and managing the development, procurement, and delivery of public infrastructure projects in the energy, agricultural, oil and gas, urban, social, defense, and security sectors.
He was responsible for the custody of all PPP contracts executed at the federal level while serving as the Director of the ICRC’s Contract Compliance Department (CCD), where he oversaw the monitoring and compliance of over 100 concession agreements in the areas of energy, ports (wet and dry), agriculture, aviation, information and communication technology (ICT), health care services, financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing, and railroads.
He was the first Head of the ICRC’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) unit, which implemented and deployed the Commission’s ICT backbone in order to establish the ICT infrastructure.
Before joining the ICRC, Dr. Ewalefoh worked as a consultant for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), managing the implementation of the European Union’s (EU) support for the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This included deploying ICT infrastructure across the nation to support the country’s anti-corruption program.
He began his professional career with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), where he was instrumental in Nigeria’s privatization and reform of public enterprises.
Dr. Ewalefoh holds degrees in development studies from the University of South Africa (UNISA), business administration (MBA) from the University of Abuja, public administration (MPA) from the University of Abuja, master’s degrees in economics (MSc) from Enugu State University of Technology, information technology (MIT) from Ladoke Akintola University, and computer science (BSc) from the University of Benin.
Due to his intense curiosity, Dr. Ewalefoh has attended some of the world’s top universities, including Harvard University, the Brookings Institute, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Carolina, and Lagos Management School.
In addition to being a publisher and an enthusiastic reader, he has contributed to various books on a variety of developmental concerns and had multiple pieces published in prestigious journals.
