Mr Ahmed has been facing allegations of corruption by the industrialist Aliko Dangote, whose refinery is the largest in Africa.
President Bola Tinubu has replaced the heads of two petroleum agencies, including one accused of corruption by billionaire Aliko Dangote.
In a statement on Wednesday, the presidency said Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC both resigned their positions.
Mr Ahmed has been facing allegations of corruption by the industrialist Aliko Dangote, whose refinery is the largest in Africa.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, in the statement, also named two new appointtees to replace the exiting officials.
Read Mr Onanuga’s full statement below:
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and 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. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
The two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.
Ms 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.
Mr Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. He was announced today as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His prior roles include 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, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Mr 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.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President(
Information and Strategy)
