Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, revealed that he celebrated the resignation of Engr. Farouk Ahmed and Mr. Gbenga Komolafe from Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory leadership, and described their exit as necessary for Nigeria’s economic survival.

Senator representing Taraba South, David Jimkuta, aligned with Oshiomhole during the session, promising to join him in the drinking spree while posing pointed questions to the nominees amid prevailing perceptions.

The senators spoke on Thursday during the screening of President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The Joint Committee on Upstream, Midstream, Downstream, and Gas conducted the legislative assignment.

President Tinubu forwarded the names of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of the NMDPRA to the Senate for confirmation.

The appointments followed the resignations of Engineer Farouk Ahmed (former NMDPRA chief) and Mr. Gbenga Komolafe (former NUPRC chief), both appointed in 2021 under the Petroleum Industry Act.

The shake-up came after a public dispute between Mr. Ahmed and Dangote Group President Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who accused the NMDPRA of frustrating domestic refining through the issuance of petroleum import licences and alleged personal corruption.

During the screening, Oshiomhole criticised what he called the “shameful policy choices” of the outgoing leadership.

“I celebrated it last night,” Oshiomhole said bluntly. “It needed to be done. And I’m still going to drink tonight because of their removal.”

While acknowledging the professional qualifications of one of the nominees, Mohammed, the former labour leader, said the real issue was not competence but policy direction.

“Looking at your CV, you are qualified. But the issue for me is not qualification. It is your policy choices,” he said. “Everywhere in the world, nation-states deliberately protect local industries, not because they like the owners, but because they want to create jobs.”

Oshiomhole warned that job creation would not come from sympathy for the unemployed but from deliberate support for labour-intensive industries such as refineries.

“Jobs will not be achieved by weeping for the jobless. It is by supporting businesses, particularly manufacturers like refineries,” he said.

He lamented that despite the issuance of multiple refinery licences over the years—including large, mid-sized, and modular refineries—policies under the previous leadership had undermined local refining and encouraged importation.

According to him, assets were “deliberately stifled” under the watch of the former regulators, a development he said ran contrary to Nigeria’s national interest.

“Anyone who is opposed to jobs being created in Nigeria, who prefers importation, importing products here and exporting our wealth abroad, has no business managing this sector,” Oshiomhole said.

The senator urged the new nominees to be guided by national interest rather than commercial convenience, stressing that the petroleum sector must work for Nigerian workers, engineers, and families whose livelihoods depend on local refining.

“Be guided by what is good for Nigeria, not by the interests of refinery owners alone,” he said. “The people who work there are our brothers, our sisters, our children.”

Oshiomhole commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as decisive action in removing the former officials, saying the decision had renewed hope among Nigerians who depend on the sector for jobs and economic stability.

Jimkuta asked: “I want you to tell us here clearly: what are you going to tell my children? What will you do differently? What exactly is your criticism of the existing system, and how do you intend to correct the attitude and impressions Nigerians have formed?”