…Tinubu nominates Eyesan, Saidu Mohammed
Oredola Adeola
Engineer Farouk Ahmed has stepped down as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), while Gbenga Komolafe resigned as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Following their exit, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as substantive heads of the petroleum regulatory agencies.
The President nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA.
The development was confirmed in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
According to Onanuga, the President’s request to the Senate followed the resignation of the two officials, both of whom were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the regulators created under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In separate letters transmitted to the upper chamber, President Tinubu sought expedited confirmation of the nominees, describing them as seasoned professionals with decades of experience in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Eyesan, an Economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and its subsidiaries.
She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, for the 2023–2024 period, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, between 2019 and 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
He was also announced on the same day as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His career spans several strategic roles, including Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He has also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
Mohammed further served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Gas and Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership on major gas policies and frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code, and key contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act.
He played pivotal roles in the delivery of landmark projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
