Engineer Farouk Ahmed has resigned as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), sequel to widely publicised allegations by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, that he spent about $5 million on the education of four of his children in Switzerland.
Ahmed’s exit, alongside that of Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), was announced on Wednesday in a statement issued by the Presidency.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has consequently written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of nominees to replace the two officials, who were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
The President nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA.
“The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC,” the statement said.
Ahmed’s resignation comes amid intense public scrutiny triggered by allegations from Aliko Dangote, owner of the Dangote Refinery, who accused the former regulator of living far beyond his known income. The allegations, which have dominated public discourse in recent days, raised questions about integrity within Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory framework.
The Presidency, however, did not directly reference the allegations in its announcement.
Eyesan, the NUPRC nominee, is a seasoned oil and gas professional and a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin. She spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its subsidiaries, retiring as Executive Vice President, Upstream, in 2024. She previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, from 2019 to 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, nominated to head the NMDPRA, was born in 1957 in Gombe State and graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1981 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He was announced on Tuesday as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His career spans key leadership roles, including Managing Director of 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 previously served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, where he played a strategic role in shaping Nigeria’s gas policy framework, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act.
He was also involved in the delivery of major projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
The Senate is expected to consider the President’s request in the coming days.
The statement was signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
