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Farouk Ahmed, Komolafe Resign as Tinubu Nominates New CEOs for Oil, Gas Regulators
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded to the Senate the names of two nominees for confirmation as chief executives of Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory agencies, following the resignation of the incumbent heads.
The nominations affect the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), both established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
The President’s request came after the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, and Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the NUPRC. The two officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In letters transmitted to the Senate, President Tinubu sought expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.
According to the Presidency, the nominees are seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the oil and gas sector.
Ms Eyesan is a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin and spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, serving between 2023 and 2024, and previously held the position of Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, from 2019 to 2023.
Engineer Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1981. He was also announced on Tuesday as an independent non-executive director of Seplat Energy.
His career spans several leadership roles, including 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.
Engineer Mohammed further served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act.
He played key roles in the delivery of critical infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
The nominations are subject to Senate confirmation.
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