President Bola Tinubu has initiated significant changes within Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory landscape, replacing the chief executives of two key agencies amid mounting scrutiny of sector governance. Engineer Farouk Ahmed, who headed the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), have both resigned from their positions. Both officials were initially appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the regulatory bodies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

The resignations were officially announced in statements signed by Bayo Onanuga, the presidential spokesperson. President Tinubu has since written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of new nominees to fill these critical roles. Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan has been nominated as the Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC, succeeding Gbenga Komolafe, while Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed is slated to replace Farouk Ahmed as the Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.

Farouk Ahmed’s resignation comes against a backdrop of severe corruption allegations, particularly from billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group. Dangote formally petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing Ahmed of living beyond his legitimate means as a public officer. The petition specifically alleges that Ahmed spent over $7 million on his four children’s education in Switzerland, an amount far exceeding his declared income. Furthermore, Dangote accused the NMDPRA leadership under Ahmed of frustrating domestic refining efforts by continuously issuing petroleum import licenses, implying collusion with international traders. The controversy prompted the House of Representatives to resolve to investigate these allegations and the issuance of petrol import licenses, with concerns that the dispute could escalate into a fuel supply crisis, especially during the Yuletide season.

The presidency has described the new nominees as seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, emphasizing that these appointments are aimed at ensuring continuity and stability in the sector’s regulation. The Senate is expected to consider and confirm the nominations in the coming days, while investigations into the allegations against the former NMDPRA chief, Farouk Ahmed, are ongoing.

Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan, the nominee for NUPRC CEO, is an economics graduate from the University of Benin. She boasts a nearly 33-year career with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and its subsidiaries. Eyesan retired in 2024 as Executive Vice President, Upstream, and previously held the position of Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC from 2019 to 2023.

Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, nominated to head the NMDPRA, was born in 1957 in Gombe State and graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. His distinguished career includes serving as Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail. Mohammed previously held the role of Group Executive Director and 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 significant contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). He was instrumental in delivering key energy infrastructure projects such such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects. He was recently announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.