President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of new nominees to the Senate for confirmation as chief executives of Nigeria’s upstream and downstream petroleum regulators, following the resignation of the heads of the two agencies amid mounting scrutiny of sector governance.
In separate letters to the Senate, the President nominated 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 followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, former head of the NMDPRA, and Mr Gbenga Komolafe, former chief executive of the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari under the Petroleum Industry Act.
The changes come against the backdrop of a public dispute between Mr Ahmed and the president of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, over downstream petroleum regulation and allegations of corruption and economic sabotage.
President Tinubu had earlier met Mr Ahmed at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, though neither the presidency nor the regulator disclosed details of the meeting. Mr Ahmed declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.
Mr Dangote had accused the NMDPRA leadership of frustrating domestic refining through the continued issuance of petroleum import licences, alleging collusion with international traders. He also made personal allegations against Mr Ahmed, claiming that the former regulator spent millions of dollars on the education of his children abroad.
On Tuesday, Mr Dangote, through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, calling for Mr Ahmed’s investigation and prosecution. The ICPC confirmed receipt of the petition.
“The ICPC wishes to state that the petition will be duly investigated,” the Commission’s spokesman, Mr John Odey, said.
According to the petition, Mr Ahmed allegedly “spent without evidence of lawful means of income a humongous amount of money of over 7 million dollars for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland.”
The controversy has also drawn legislative attention. The House of Representatives resolved to probe the allegations against the former NMDPRA chief as well as the issuance of petrol import licences, warning that the dispute could affect fuel supply and investor confidence.
“If the brewing dispute between the NMDPRA and Dangote Refinery is not nipped in the bud, it is likely to escalate and thus lead to fuel supply crisis during the Yuletide season and beyond,” said Mr Midala Usman, who sponsored the motion.
Meanwhile, the Presidency said the nominations sent to the Senate were aimed at ensuring continuity in the regulation of the petroleum sector. In a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the nominees were described as experienced professionals.
Ms Eyesan, an Economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and its subsidiaries, retiring as Executive Vice President, Upstream, in 2024. She also served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy.
Engineer Mohammed, a Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, previously served as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, and held several board and executive roles within the oil and gas sector.
The Senate is expected to consider the nominations in the coming days, while investigations into the allegations against the former NMDPRA chief continue.
