Buhari Appoints Idris Head of Nigeria’s Nuclear Regulatory Body

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr. Yau Idris, an expert in nuclear regulation and radiation protection, as the new Director General, Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, who disclosed the appointment of Idris in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Garba Deen, said that the new posting took effect from February 19, 2020.

“In a letter conveying the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointment, the HMPR (Sylva) congratulated the new DG and urged him to work hard to justify the confidence reposed in him. The appointment is with effect from 19th February 2019,” the brief statement said.

The new NNRA boss, who has a PhD in Applied Nuclear Physics from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, M.Sc. Physics from the University of Ibadan and a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Maiduguri, is a pioneer employee of the NNRA, having joined the authority in 2004.

He was the Kaduna State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources. Before joining the NNRA, he was a lecturer and researcher in Physics with the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and University of Maiduguri for 15 years, according to information garnered from the agency’s official website.

Currently, the Vice-Chairman of the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA), having served as the secretary of the forum, Idris is an advisory board member for the Africa Nuclear Business Platform (AFNBP).

He is the Coordinator for Africa of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)/FNRBA Technical Working Group on Education, Training and Knowledge Management (TWG6), including membership of several other local and international bodies.

He has also trained several regulators from other countries such as Sudan, Uganda, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana and has for the past 15 years been an IAEA Course Director/Coordinator for several IAEA activities in Nigeria.

The NNRA, a parastatal in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, registers, licenses, inspects and enforces nuclear safety and radiological protection in all practices within the country.