By Ahmed Rufa’i
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the replacement of the Chief Executive Officers of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The President has nominated Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, while Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC.
President Tinubu has formally written to the Senate, seeking expedited confirmation of the two nominees.
The nominations followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, former CEO of the NMDPRA, and Gbenga Komolafe, former CEO of the NUPRC.Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which created the two regulatory agencies.
Farouk Ahmed has been in the public spotlight in recent days following corruption allegations levelled against him by the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who reportedly submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
To fill the vacant positions, President Tinubu urged the Senate to swiftly confirm the appointments, citing the need for stability and continuity in the oil and gas regulatory framework.
Eyesan, an Economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its subsidiaries.
She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, between 2023 and 2024, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2019 to 2023.Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, is a Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1981).
He was recently announced as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Seplat Energy.His extensive career spans key leadership roles, including Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, Managing Director of Nigerian Gas Company, and Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate.
Mohammed also chaired several strategic boards, including West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail, and played a critical role in landmark projects such as the Escravos to Lagos Pipeline Expansion, Ajaokuta to Kaduna to Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
He equally contributed to the development of the Gas Master plan, Gas Network Code, and the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
