The Nigerian President and the Minister of Petroleum, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has sacked the embattled Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Engr. Farouk Ahmed and his upstream counterpart in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe.
The sacking of the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Engr. Farouk Ahmed is not far from the lingering dispute between the downstream authority chief and the African richest man and the owner of Dangote refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, over the latter’s alleged accusation against the Engr. Farouk of the massive corruption going on in its commission.
Already, President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the NMDPRA and 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 the appointment of two seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry, namely Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
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 recently announced 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. ( culled from Vanguard)
