President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded nominations to the Senate for the appointment of new chief executives to lead Nigeria’s two key petroleum regulatory agencies, following the resignation of their incumbent heads.
The development was announced by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, who confirmed that the move followed the departure of Engineer Farouk Ahmed from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Gbenga Komolafe from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC,” Onanuga stated. “Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).”
News.ng reports that the development followed allegations of unverifiable acquisition of wealth against the NMDPRA Chief, Ahmed, who was alleged to have paid a sum of $5 million for the tuition of three of his children in Switzerland.
The allegation was made by the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan to head the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed to lead the NMDPRA, seeking expedited Senate confirmation for both appointments.
According to Onanuga, “The two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.”
Eyesan brings nearly three decades of experience from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. “Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries,” the presidential aide noted, adding that “She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC from 2019 to 2023.”
Engineer Mohammed, 67, is a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University with extensive leadership experience across Nigeria’s petroleum sector. His career includes serving as Managing Director of both the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company.
The presidential statement highlighted Mohammed’s strategic contributions to the sector: “He also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).”
“Engineer Mohammed played a pivotal role in delivering key projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train,” Onanuga added.
The Senate is expected to screen and confirm the nominees in the coming weeks, allowing the two critical regulatory agencies to resume full operations under new leadership.
