President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to confirm his nominations for new oil regulators.
The announcement, made on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, follows the resignations of the previous heads of Nigeria’s primary petroleum regulatory bodies.
Farouk Ahmed resigned as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, while Gbenga Komolafe stepped down as Chief Executive of the NUPRC.
Replacing them, Tinubu announced the nomination of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
The President’s request for the nomination of new oil regulators was contained in separate letters to the Senate on Wednesday.
This was also announced in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The statement reads in part: “Engineers Farouk Ahmed, Gbenga Komolafe resign, President Tinubu nominates successors to the Senate for approval
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“The requests followed the resignation of Engineer 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 (PIA).
“To fill these positions, President 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.”
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the President’s decision comes hours after Africa’s richest man and billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote filed a formal petition with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging gross corruption and economic sabotage within the industry’s leadership.
