President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two new chief executive nominees to the Senate following the sudden resignation of the heads of Nigeria’s two key petroleum regulatory agencies.
Engineer Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), have formally stepped down from their positions. The two technocrats were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari as part of the implementation architecture of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In a letter transmitted to the Senate on Tuesday, President Tinubu asked lawmakers to urgently confirm Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the new Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.
The President described the nominations as part of his ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening regulatory efficiency across the oil and gas value chain.
Who Are the Nominees?
Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan is a seasoned economist and oil industry strategist with nearly 33 years of experience at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. A graduate of the University of Benin, she retired in 2024 as Executive Vice President, Upstream, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, between 2019 and 2023. Her nomination places another industry heavyweight at the helm of the national upstream regulatory framework.
For the midstream and downstream sector, President Tinubu nominated Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, an accomplished chemical engineer born in Gombe State. Mohammed graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 and has held high-level leadership roles across Nigeria’s petroleum infrastructure.
A recently announced independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy, Mohammed previously served as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
Mohammed was further appointed Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, where he provided strategic oversight for major national gas projects and policies, including the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code and Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act processes. His portfolio includes the delivery of critical infrastructure such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and multiple Nigeria LNG Train projects.
Senate Set for Screening
With the resignations creating immediate leadership gaps in the sector, the Senate is expected to expedite screening and confirmation of both nominees. The move is viewed as part of the administration’s broader strategy to stabilise the petroleum regulatory environment amid ongoing fuel supply concerns, gas infrastructure expansion and the implementation of PIA reforms.
President Tinubu has recently intensified policy interventions aimed at strengthening energy governance, attracting investment into the upstream and midstream segments and restoring confidence among domestic and foreign operators.
Thank you for covering this so thoroughly. It helped me a lot.