BREAKING: Farouk Ahmed, Komolafe resign as Tinubu nominates new NMDPRA, NUPRC Chiefs

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to approve the appointment of new chief executive officers for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), following the resignation of the incumbent heads of the two agencies.

The request was contained in separate letters transmitted to the upper chamber, seeking expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the new Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.

The nominations followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, who headed the NMDPRA, and Gbenga Komolafe, the former Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the regulatory agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act.

President Tinubu said the nominations were part of efforts to strengthen regulation, deepen reforms and enhance efficiency across Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, urging the Senate to consider the requests promptly.

Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan is a seasoned oil and gas professional with nearly 33 years of experience at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its subsidiaries. A graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, she retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, in 2024, having earlier served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2019 to 2023.

Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, is a Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was recently announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy and has held several strategic positions within the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

His previous roles include Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, as well as Chairman of the boards of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries and NNPC Retail. He also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, where he provided leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code and key contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act.

Engineer Mohammed played a central role in the execution of critical infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG Train projects.

The Senate is expected to commence screening of the nominees in the coming days, subject to legislative procedures.

Very Nigerian.

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