The chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed, has resigned alongside his counterpart at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr Gbenga Komolafe. Following the development, President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm new chief executives for the two agencies.
The President’s request was conveyed in separate letters to the Senate, according to a statement signed by Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy. The officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to head the regulatory agencies created under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
President Tinubu requested expedited confirmation of Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as chief executive officer of NUPRC and Mr Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as chief executive officer of NMDPRA. The nominations were forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
Mr Ahmed’s resignation comes amid a conflict with businessman, Mr Aliko Dangote, who alleged that the NMDPRA chief and his family were “living beyond their legitimate means,” citing “millions of Dollars” allegedly spent on overseas schooling for his four children. The allegations drew public attention to the leadership of the petroleum regulator.
Mrs Eyesan is a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin and spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, during the 2023–2024 period, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC between 2019 and 2023.
Mr Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He was announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His previous roles include Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company, and Chair of the boards of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail. He also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, where he provided leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the PIA. He played a role in delivering projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion and the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline.
