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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday accepted the resignations of Engr. Farouk Ahmed as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Engr. Gbenga Komolafe as head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), swiftly nominating replacements for Senate confirmation.
The State House announcement, signed by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, confirmed Tinubu’s letters to the Senate urging “expedited confirmation” of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan for NUPRC CEO and Engr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed for NMDPRA CEO. Both outgoing chiefs were Buhari-era appointees from 2021, tasked with steering the agencies birthed by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Onanuga’s release quoted the President as seeking these “seasoned professionals” to fill the vacancies immediately, signalling a push to stabilise Nigeria’s oil and gas regulation post-controversy. Ahmed’s exit comes just hours after his closed-door meeting with Tinubu, amid billionaire Aliko Dangote’s bombshell allegations of sabotage, corruption, and lavish foreign schooling for Ahmed’s children – claims that prompted an ICPC petition.
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Eyesan, 58, brings 33 years of NNPC pedigree, including her recent stint as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024). A University of Benin Economics graduate, she previously helmed Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy (2019–2023). Onanuga highlighted her as primed to lead upstream regulation.
Engr. Mohammed, 68, from Gombe and an Ahmadu Bello University Chemical Engineering alum (1981), steps in at NMDPRA with a stellar résumé. Today named independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy, he once ran Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company as MD. His board chairs spanned West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
The release praised Mohammed’s strategic heft: “As Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, he provided leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).” Key deliveries under his watch included the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train 7.
