The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, has stepped down from office.
At the same time, the head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, has also resigned.
Following these exits, President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of new chief executives to the Senate for confirmation.
The President made this request in separate letters sent to the Senate.
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, disclosed this in an official statement.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed both Ahmed and Komolafe in 2021 after the Petroleum Industry Act came into force.
The statement said Tinubu asked the Senate to fast-track the confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive of NMDPRA.
It explained that Eyesan, an economist with deep industry experience, spent almost 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its subsidiaries.
She retired in 2024 as Executive Vice President for Upstream Operations and earlier served as Group General Manager for Corporate Planning and Strategy.
The statement added that Mohammed is a chemical engineer who previously led the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company and has served on several boards in the energy sector.
It also noted that he was recently appointed an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
The statement described both nominees as experienced professionals in the oil and gas industry.
Ahmed’s resignation followed a widely publicized dispute with Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, which attracted national attention in December 2025.
The disagreement began after Dangote accused Ahmed and his family of spending beyond their lawful income, pointing to alleged multimillion-dollar expenses on foreign education for his four children.
Dangote petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to probe and prosecute Ahmed for alleged abuse of office and illicit enrichment, triggering a nationwide debate on regulation in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
Ahmed rejected the allegations, calling them unfounded, and said he preferred to defend himself before a recognized investigative body rather than argue in public.
The dispute, which started in 2024 after Ahmed criticized local refinery production, including output from Dangote’s refinery, led the House of Representatives to summon both men to prevent instability in the sector.
source: punchng.com
African Energy Council