How Dangote Revelation Forced Farouk Ahmed, Gbenga Komolafe To Resign

The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, has resigned from his appointment.

Also resigning is the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe.

‎This followed corruption allegations leveled against Engr. Ahmed by the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.

‎Both Farouk Ahmed and Gbenga Komolafe were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

‎Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has nominated their replacements, and their names have been forwarded to the Senate for approval.

‎The President has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the petroleum regulatory bodies.

‎A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that 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 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 degree 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.