Tinubu appoints replacement as NUPRC, NMDPRA bosses resigns
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two new nominees to the Senate for confirmation following the resignation of the chief executives of Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory agencies.
The President approved the appointment of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The request for Senate confirmation was sent in separate letters on Wednesday after the exit of the current heads of both agencies.
Engr. Farouk Ahmed resigned from his position as CEO of the NMDPRA, while Gbenga Komolafe stepped down as CEO of the NUPRC.
Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari after the Petroleum Industry Act came into force.
The Presidency confirmed the development through a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Later on Wednesday evening, Ahmed was seen at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he went straight to the President’s office.
He arrived around 5:30 pm and left less than half an hour later. It was not clear whether he met President Tinubu or discussed any issue during the visit.
Ahmed’s resignation followed an ongoing public disagreement with businessman Aliko Dangote over Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
Dangote, who owns the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, accused the NMDPRA under Ahmed of actions that discouraged local refining and sustained fuel imports.
He alleged that the regulator continued to issue import licences in a way that weakened domestic refineries and claimed there was cooperation between the agency and foreign fuel traders.
The NMDPRA has not issued an official response to these claims.
The dispute later shifted to personal allegations, with Dangote accusing Ahmed of living beyond his income.
He claimed that Ahmed spent millions of dollars on the education of his children in Switzerland and raised concerns about possible misconduct.
The allegations escalated when Dangote accused Ahmed of corruption and misuse of public funds, citing large sums allegedly spent on secondary and tertiary education, including a foreign business programme in 2025.
On Tuesday, Dangote’s lawyer submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, calling for an investigation into Ahmed’s finances.
The petition reportedly listed the names of the children, schools attended and estimated expenses.
