President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm new chief executives for two of Nigeria’s key petroleum regulators following the resignation of their current heads, a development that comes amid a deepening controversy in the downstream sector.
The request, conveyed in separate letters to the Senate on Wednesday, seeks approval for fresh leadership at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Engr. Farouk Ahmed has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, while Gbenga Komolafe resigned as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari after the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, December 17.
In the statement, the Presidency said: “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 statement added: “The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC.”
Announcing the proposed replacements, the statement said: “To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.”
The Presidency described the nominees as “seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.”
On Eyesan, the release noted: “Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and its subsidiaries.” It added that “she retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, from 2023 to 2024, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at the NNPC between 2019 and 2023.”
Providing details on Mohammed, the statement said: “Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering.” It further disclosed that “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.”
The statement added: “He also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and 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.”
The statement highlighted that “Engineer 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.”