In a sudden shake-up at the helm of Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory bodies, Engineer Farouk Ahmed and Gbenga Komolafe have resigned as chief executives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) respectively.


The resignations were announced by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement posted on his X handle on Wednesday.

President Bola Tinubu immediately nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan for NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed for NMDPRA, forwarding their names to the Senate for confirmation.

Onanuga said the President urged the Senate to speedily approve the nominations to ensure continuity in the leadership of the two regulatory agencies.


The resignations, also announced via a State House press release signed by Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, marked the end of the tenures of Ahmed and Komolafe. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the twin regulators established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which restructured Nigeria’s oil sector into upstream, midstream and downstream segments.

The exit of the two top officials came barely 72 hours after the President of Dangote Group and owner of Dangote Refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, levelled strong allegations of economic sabotage and embezzlement against the former NMDPRA Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed.

On Sunday, December 14, 2025, Dangote publicly accused Ahmed of actions he said undermined Nigeria’s refining sector.

The allegations, made during a press briefing in Lagos, centred on claims of financial impropriety and economic sabotage.

Dangote alleged that Ahmed embezzled public funds through the NMDPRA to finance lavish personal expenses, including over $7 million in upfront payments for the education of his four children in Switzerland over six years. He named the children as Faisal Farouk, Farouk Jr., Ashraf Farouk and Farhana Farouk, citing specific claims such as $210,000 allegedly paid for Faisal’s 2025 Harvard MBA programme.

Dangote further alleged that Ahmed abused his office to divert funds for private interests, violated public service codes and deliberately sabotaged domestic refining efforts, fuelling public outrage and protests.

On Monday, Dangote expanded the accusations through newspaper advertorials detailing the Swiss schools attended by Ahmed’s children and the alleged tuition fees paid.

On Tuesday, Dangote followed up with a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging corrupt educational spending amounting to $7 million—an amount Dangote claimed Ahmed could not have afforded based on his lawful earnings as NMDPRA Chief Executive.

Following these developments, President Tinubu summoned Farouk Ahmed on Wednesday, a meeting that reportedly culminated in his resignation.

The leadership changes come as Nigeria targets $10 billion in upstream investments and aims to reduce gas flaring by 2030.

Under Komolafe, the NUPRC oversaw exploration activities, production licensing and upstream investments amid efforts to raise crude oil output to 2.2 million barrels per day.

The NMDPRA, led by Ahmed, regulated midstream infrastructure such as pipelines and gas networks, as well as downstream refining, imports and retail pricing—functions critical amid Nigeria’s persistent fuel scarcity and the rollout of the Dangote Refinery.

Although official reasons for the exits were not disclosed, they coincide with heightened scrutiny over regulatory transparency, gas flaring penalties and local content enforcement.

Industry analysts believe the changes could inject fresh momentum into President Tinubu’s energy transition agenda, including gas-to-power initiatives and divestments by international oil companies.

Tinubu Nominates Replacement

The nominees for the top positions at NUPRC and NMDPRA, Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.

Ms Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, from 2019 to 2023.

Engineer Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He was announced on Wednesday as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.

His career spans leadership roles as 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 and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and 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.

Mohammed played a key role in delivering landmark projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG Train 7.

In a letter to the Senate, the Presidency described the nominees as “seasoned professionals whose expertise will drive seamless regulation and sector growth”, urging expedited confirmation to avoid leadership gaps.

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