Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). Engineer Farouk Ahmed has resigned following allegations of fraud leveled against him by the Dangote presidential group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
Statement issued by Bayo
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Ahmed is the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Komolafe resigns from appointment and President Tinubu has nominated his successor for Senate confirmation
Onanuga added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nomination of two new chief executive officers of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
He said the requests followed the resignations of NMDPRA Engineer Farouk Ahmed and NUPRC Engineer Gbenga Komolafe. Both officials were appointed by former President Buhari in 2021 to lead the two regulatory agencies created under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate to expedite the confirmation of Oritsemeiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
Both nominees are experienced professionals in the oil and gas industry. They are Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, who has worked in NNPC and its subsidiaries for nearly 33 years. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023-2024), having previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, NNPC, from 2019 to 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed was born in Gombe in 1957 and graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He was today appointed as an independent non-executive director of Seplat Energy.
He served as Managing Director of Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company and Nigeria Gas Company, as well as Chairman of the Board of Directors of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiary and NNPC Retail.
He also served as Group Executive Director/COO of the Gas and Electricity Council, providing strategic leadership on major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Master Plan, Gas Network Code and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Engineer Mohammed played a key role in the delivery of key projects such as the Eskravos-Lagos pipeline expansion, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline and the Nigeria LNG train.
December 17, 2025
