President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Engineer Farouk Ahmed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The development was announced on Wednesday in a statement signed by the presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, who said the President has written to the Senate seeking expedited confirmation of their replacements.
According to the statement, Tinubu nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan to succeed Komolafe at the NUPRC, while Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed was named to replace Ahmed at the NMDPRA.
“The President has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission,” Onanuga said.
Komolafe and Ahmed were both appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which created the two regulatory bodies.
Before his appointment, Komolafe served as Group General Manager, Special Duties, at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and previously held roles as Executive Director (Commercial) at the Pipelines and Petroleum Marketing Company (PPMC).
He also served as General Manager, Operations, at the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).
Ahmed’s exit comes amid public allegations of corruption made against him by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, whose refinery is Africa’s largest. The Presidency, however, said both officials resigned their positions.
On the nominees, the Presidency described them as “seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the oil and gas industry.”
Eyesan, an Economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries.
She retired in 2024 as Executive Vice President, Upstream, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, between 2019 and 2023.
Engineer Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, is a Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
He recently served as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy and has held top positions including Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company.
He also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, where he contributed to key policy frameworks such as the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code and the Petroleum Industry Act.
He played key roles in major gas projects, including the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion and the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline.
President Tinubu urged the Senate to act swiftly on the nominations to ensure continuity and effective regulation of Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
