PRESIDENT TINUBU ACCEPTS FAROUK AHMED, KOMOLAFE’S RESIGNATIONS, NOMINATES NEW PETROLEUM REGULATORS AMID DANGOTE PETITION
By Emeka Amaefula
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted the official resignations of Engineer Farouk Ahmed and Gbenga Komolafe as chief executives of Nigeria’s key petroleum regulatory agencies and has transmitted the names of their successors to the Senate for confirmation, according to information from the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja.
A press statement issued on December 17, 2025, by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that Engineer Farouk Ahmed stepped down as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), while Gbenga Komolafe resigned as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to head the regulatory bodies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
President Tinubu has consequently written to the Senate, requesting 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, in order to ensure continuity and stability in the oil and gas regulatory framework.
The resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed comes amid a petition submitted by Africa’s richest businessman, Aliko Dangote, which contains weighty allegations of corruption and abuse of office against the former NMDPRA boss. In the petition, Dangote alleged that “Engr Farouk Ahmed spent, without evidence of lawful means of income, a humongous amount of money of over $7 million of public funds on the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront.”
The petition further accused Ahmed of abusing his position, stating that “Engr Farouk Ahmed has grossly abused his office contrary to the extant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and, by so doing, enmeshed himself in monumental corruption and unlawful spending of public funds running into millions of dollars.” Dangote also alleged corrupt enrichment, claiming that “Engr Farouk Ahmed has corruptly enriched himself with taxpayers’ money meant for public consumption and diverted it into private uses.”
In calling for accountability, the petition urged law enforcement action, declaring: “We call on the Commission under your leadership to investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting.” The allegations, according to sources, have since triggered an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Engineer Farouk Ahmed has not publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu’s nominees to replace the outgoing regulators are widely regarded as seasoned industry professionals. Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan, nominated to head the NUPRC, is a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin and spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its subsidiaries. She retired after serving as Executive Vice President, Upstream, between 2023 and 2024, and previously held the position of Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2019 to 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, nominated as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, was born in 1957 in Gombe State and graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He was recently announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy and has held several strategic roles, including Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company.
His career also spans chairmanship positions at the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries and NNPC Retail. As Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Gas and Power Directorate, he provided strategic leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks such as the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code and key inputs into the Petroleum Industry Act. He played key roles in landmark projects including the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
President Tinubu, according to the Presidency, urged the Senate to act promptly on the nominations in the national interest, as the administration pushes ahead with reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and efficiency in Nigeria’s petroleum sector, a critical pillar of the economy.
——–Emeka Amaefula —-+234(0)8111813069—-
