Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has resigned from office following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting, which took place on Wednesday, came amid allegations of economic sabotage and corruption levelled against the NMDPRA boss.
In a related development, Gbenga Komolafe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), also resigned from his position.
The resignations were confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
The controversy surrounding Ahmed intensified after Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), accused him of corruption and economic sabotage on December 16. Dangote alleged that the NMDPRA chief spent about $5 million in public funds on the secondary school education of his children in Switzerland, providing a detailed breakdown of the alleged expenditure.
Dangote subsequently petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), calling for Ahmed’s arrest, investigation, and prosecution. He accused the former regulator of living beyond his means as a public official.
Following the allegations and the subsequent meeting with President Tinubu, Ahmed tendered his resignation.
Onanuga disclosed that President Tinubu has nominated successors to both Ahmed and Komolafe and forwarded their names to the Senate for confirmation.
“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 reads.
“The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC.
“Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
“To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.”
According to Onanuga, the two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry. Eyesan, a graduate of economics from the University of Benin, reportedly spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries.
The presidency said she retired as an executive vice-president of upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as group general manager of corporate planning and strategy at the NNPC from 2019 to 2023.
“Engineer 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,” the presidency said.
“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).”
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
