NMDPRA, NUPRC bosses, Ahmed, Komolafe resign; Tinubu announces replacements
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as chief executives of Nigeria’s petroleum sector regulators following the resignation of their current heads.
In separate letters to the upper chamber, the President requested the Senate’s approval for the appointment of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The nominations follow the exit of Engineer Farouk Ahmed from the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe from the NUPRC.
Both men were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the regulatory agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to oversee Nigeria’s upstream, midstream and downstream petroleum operations.
President Tinubu, in seeking expedited confirmation of the nominees, described them as seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, capable of strengthening regulatory oversight and advancing reforms in the sector.
Eyesan, an economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its successor entities.
She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, in 2024, having previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, between 2019 and 2023. Her career spans key roles in upstream operations, strategic planning and corporate governance.
Engineer Mohammed, who was born in 1957 in Gombe State, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was recently announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy and brings decades of experience across Nigeria’s gas, refining and downstream segments.
His past appointments include Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He has also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, subsidiaries of Nigeria LNG, and NNPC Retail.
As Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Gas and Power Directorate, Mohammed provided strategic leadership for several landmark gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code and key contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act. He played a central role in the delivery of major infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
If confirmed by the Senate, the appointments are expected to ensure continuity and reinforce regulatory effectiveness in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector at a time of ongoing reforms and investment drive.
The nominations were conveyed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
