By Juliet Ukanwosu
After being publicly accused of alleged corrupt practices by Africa’s Richest Man, Aliko Dangote, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, has resigned.
In a surprise development, his counterpart in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, also tendered his resignation on Wednesday.
Gbenga Komolafe, former NUPRC CEO
Consequently, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the NMDPRA and NUPRC following the resignations.
Both officials were appointed in 2021 by the late President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of nominees to fill the positions.
The two nominees are Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA. Both nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.
Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries. 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.
Engr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering.
He has previously served as Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company, as well as Chair of the boards of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail. 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 and Gas Network Code.
Engr. 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.
Dangote has accused the former NMDPRA chief of allegedly living above his income as a public servant, alleging that he spent about $5million on secondary education for four of his children in Switzerland. Dangote petitioned relevant anticorruption agencies urging them to investigate Ahmed’s sources of income.