President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has requested the Senate’s approval for the appointment of two new chief executives to head the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The request follows the resignation of Farouk Ahmed, former Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, and Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, former Chief Executive of the NUPRC.
Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the regulatory agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga disclosed that in separate letters to the Senate, President Tinubu requested the expedited confirmation of Mr. Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Saidu Mohammed as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The nominees are seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the oil and gas industry.
Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries.
She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC from 2019 to 2023.
Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. 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.
He also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & 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 (PIA).
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.
Meanwhile, the President had met with the erstwhile Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, on Wednesday evening at the State House, Abuja.
The meeting held amid allegations of financial impropriety made by industrialist and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, against the NMDPRA Former CEO.
Ahmed declined speaking with journalists as he exited the State House and offered no comment on the allegations or the outcome of his meeting with President Tinubu.