The Chief Executives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, have resigned from their positions.
Following their resignations, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting approval for the nominations of new heads for both agencies. A statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the requests are part of efforts to ensure continuity in the leadership of the two regulatory bodies.
Both Ahmed and Komolafe were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to oversee the agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
To fill the vacancies, President Tinubu has forwarded the names of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA, urging the Senate to expedite their confirmation.
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The nominees are seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the oil and gas sector. Eyesan, an Economics graduate from the University of Benin, served nearly 33 years at the NNPC and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024) and previously held the position of Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC between 2019 and 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981. He was recently appointed as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
Engineer Mohammed’s extensive career includes serving as Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company, as well as Chairing boards of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail. He also held the role of Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership on major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
He played a pivotal role in delivering key infrastructure projects, including the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and the Nigeria LNG Train, underscoring his capacity to lead the NMDPRA.
