…As Tinubu appoints Mohammed, Eyesan as replacement
The Chief Executive Officers of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Farook Ahmed and Gbenga Komolafe have resigned their appointments.
Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Consequently, President Bola Tinubu has nominated their successors to be cleared by the Senate.
To fill these positions, according to Bayo Onanuga, Presidential spokesman, 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.
The two nominees are seasoned professionals 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.
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.
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).
Engineer 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.
The former NMDPRA resignation may not be unconnected with allegation of corruption and economic sabotage levied against his by the African richest man and President of the Dangote Group,Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
Dangote had alleged that Aliyu was living about his legitimate means by spending millions of dollars as school fess for his four children at some secondary schools in Switzerland.
He had equally petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate and prosecute the former NMDPRA boss.
