Nigeria’s petroleum sector was thrown into fresh uncertainty on Wednesday following the resignation of the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, and his counterpart at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, amid the deepening controversy triggered by allegations and a petition filed by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.
The Presidency announced the resignations of the two regulators on Wednesday, a development widely seen as fallout from the escalating dispute between the Dangote refinery and the NMDPRA over fuel importation, pricing, and regulatory oversight in the downstream sector.
The shakeup came days after Dangote publicly accused Ahmed of economic sabotage and petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission to investigate what he described as questionable personal wealth, including allegations that the regulator paid about $5m for the secondary education of his four children in Switzerland.
On Sunday, Dangote had launched a direct attack on Ahmed, questioning the source of his wealth and how he could afford such an amount for his children’s education. The allegations escalated on Tuesday when Dangote formally wrote to the ICPC, demanding a full investigation into the NMDPRA boss.
In response to the petition and the controversy it generated, Ahmed was summoned to the Presidential Villa, and his resignation was subsequently announced. Komolafe, who was not directly involved in the immediate dispute, was also affected, with sources indicating that the Presidency opted for a simultaneous leadership change at both regulatory agencies.
Confirming the development, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayi Onanuga, announced the resignation of the two chief executives and the nomination of their replacements. According to Onanuga, President Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of new chief executives for both agencies.
“The requests followed the resignation of Engr 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,” he said.
To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engr Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA,” Onanuga added.
He described the nominees as 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 degree in Chemical Engineering. He was announced today (Wednesday) 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,” Onanuga said.
