Abuja, December 17, 2025 — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two new chief executives to the Senate for confirmation to lead Nigeria’s key petroleum regulatory agencies, following the exit of their outgoing heads amid rising controversy in the oil and gas sector.
In letters sent to the upper chamber, the President nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The nominations come after the resignations of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, former head of the NMDPRA, and Gbenga Komolafe, who led the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Dangote’s Allegations Cast Long Shadow
Farouk Ahmed’s departure follows intense public scrutiny triggered by damning allegations from billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, who accused the former NMDPRA boss of corruption, abuse of office, and deliberate attempts to undermine domestic refining.
Dangote, speaking during a media interaction at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, alleged that the NMDPRA under Ahmed’s leadership persistently issued fuel import licences despite Nigeria’s growing local refining capacity — a policy he described as economic sabotage.
He further alleged that Ahmed lived far beyond his known earnings as a public official, citing claims of multi-million-dollar spending on his children’s education abroad, and subsequently petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the former regulator.
The ICPC has since confirmed receipt of the petition and said investigations would follow. Ahmed has denied the allegations, describing them as false and politically motivated, while stating that he would allow relevant authorities to handle the matter.
Profiles of the Nominees
Eyesan, an economist and University of Benin graduate, spent nearly 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, is a graduate of Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He has held top positions across Nigeria’s energy landscape, including Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company.
He also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, playing key roles in landmark projects such as the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, and Nigeria LNG developments. Mohammed was also announced on Tuesday as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
What Next
The Senate is expected to screen the nominees in the coming days as the Tinubu administration seeks to stabilize the petroleum regulatory environment amid ongoing reforms and investor concerns.
If confirmed, the new appointees will assume leadership of agencies critical to Nigeria’s oil, gas, and energy transition at a time of heightened public scrutiny and sectoral tension.
