President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the appointment of new chief executives for Nigeria’s two key petroleum regulators following the resignation of the heads of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The President’s request comes after Engineer Farouk Ahmed stepped down as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, alongside Gbenga Komolafe, who resigned as Chief Executive of the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to pilot the agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu disclosed that he has transmitted the names of their proposed successors to the Senate, urging lawmakers to fast-track the confirmation process to avoid regulatory gaps in the oil and gas sector.
The nominees are Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.
Eyesan is a seasoned petroleum economist with nearly 33 years’ experience at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. A graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, she retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, in 2024, having earlier served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy between 2019 and 2023.
Engineer Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was recently announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy and brings decades of experience across Nigeria’s gas, refining and downstream subsectors.
His career includes stints as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, as well as board chairmanship roles at the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries and NNPC Retail.
Mohammed also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Gas and Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership on landmark gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code and key inputs into the Petroleum Industry Act.
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He played prominent roles in the delivery of major infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG Train expansion projects.
The presidency said the nominations are aimed at sustaining reforms in the oil and gas sector and strengthening regulatory oversight under the PIA, pending Senate confirmation.
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