President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives respectively, for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The request followed the resignation of Engr. Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Mr. Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC.
Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
The resignation followed Aliko Dangote’s allegations of corruption against the officials, especially Ahmed, who was accused of paying school fees for his children overseas with 5 million dollars.
Dagote also submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) demanding arrest, investigation and prosecution of Ahmed to explain his source of income.
In the petition submitted on December 16, through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), Dangote demanded the arrest, investigation and prosecution of Ahmed for allegedly living above his means as a public servant.
According to the petition received by the office of the Chairman of the ICPC, Musa Aliyu (SAN), the Dangote Group Chairman specifically, accused the NMDPRA boss of spending, without evidence of lawful means of income, money amounting to over $7 million for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront.
In the petition, Dangote listed the children and their schools in Switzerland, including the amount paid for each of them to establish his allegations and verification by the anti-graft agency.
Part of the petition read: “It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of Code of Conduct for public officers, Corrupt enrichment, embezzlement are gross Act of corrupt practices for which your Commission (ICPC) is statutorily empowered under section 19, of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” Dangote said.
“Upon a successful prosecution of such a person, under section 19, of the ICPC Act, the person is liable to imprisonment for five years without an option of fine.
“We make bold to state that the ICPC is strategically positioned along the sister agencies to, prosecute financial crimes and other corruption related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the Courts do not hesitate to punish offenders.
“In view of the above, we call on the Commission under your leadership to investigate the complain of abuse of office and corruption against Engr Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly, prosecute him if found wanting.
“We have no reservation that being a matter that is in the public domain, the Commission will not close its eyes to it but act decisively to ensure that justice is done and the good image of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is protected.”
To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
The two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.
Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries.
She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC from 2019 to 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering.
He was announced today as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His prior roles include Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company, as well as Chair of the boards of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
He also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Engineer Mohammed played a pivotal role in delivering key projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train.
