The Senate has confirmed the appointments of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as chief executive officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as head of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The confirmations were secured at plenary following the consideration and adoption of a report by the Joint Committees on Petroleum (Upstream, Downstream and Gas), which screened the nominees and recommended their approval.
President Bola Tinubu transmitted the request for confirmation to the Senate on Thursday “in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.”
Eyesan and Aliyu will now head the two key petroleum regulators responsible for licensing, regulation, and revenue oversight in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The appointments followed the resignation of Farouk Ahmed, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, amid allegations raised by Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group.
Dangote had petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing Ahmed of corruption, abuse of office, and illicit enrichment.
In the petition dated December 16 and addressed to the ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), the billionaire businessman demanded Ahmed’s arrest, investigation, and prosecution.
Dangote alleged that Ahmed lived far beyond his legitimate earnings as a public officer, claiming that the former regulator spent more than $7 million on the education of his four children in Switzerland, with school fees reportedly paid upfront for six years.
According to him, such expenditure could not be justified by the cumulative income of a career public servant. He provided details including the names of the children, the schools attended, and the specific amounts paid, urging the ICPC to verify the claims.
Dangote further accused Ahmed of diverting public funds for personal use, alleging that the regulatory authority was manipulated to serve private interests at the expense of the Nigerian public.