Ahmed, Komolafe Resign as Tinubu Nominates New CEOs for NUPRC, NMDPRA
By Odekunle Doyin
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as chief executive officers of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The nominations follow the resignation of the incumbent chief executives. Engineer Farouk Ahmed stepped down as head of NMDPRA, while Gbenga Komolafe resigned as Chief Executive of NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari after the agencies were established under the Petroleum Industry Act.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President requested the Senate to expedite action on the confirmation of Ms Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The statement noted that the nominees were selected based on their extensive experience in the oil and gas sector. Eyesan, an Economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent about 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, between 2023 and 2024, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, from 2019 to 2023.
Engineer Mohammed, who was born in 1957 in Gombe State, is a Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He has held several leadership positions in the energy sector, including Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer in charge of Gas and Power, where he played key roles in major national gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code and the Petroleum Industry Act.
The President expressed confidence that the nominees would support improved regulation and efficiency in the petroleum sector, while urging the Senate to give prompt consideration to the requests to ensure continuity and stability in the industry.
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