Engineer Farouk Ahmed has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), prompting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to nominate a new leadership team for Senate approval.
Okay News reports that Ahmed’s resignation came alongside that of Gbenga Komolafe, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Both officials were appointed in 2021 under the Petroleum Industry Act.
In a letter to the Senate, President Tinubu announced the nomination of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the new CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the incoming CEO of NMDPRA.
The President urged lawmakers to confirm the nominees swiftly.
According to the statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu said:
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.”
“The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC.”
The statement also highlighted the President’s confidence in the new nominees, describing them as experienced professionals with decades of work across Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.
Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent more than 30 years at NNPC and retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream in 2024.
She also served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy between 2019 and 2023.
Engineer Mohammed, born in Gombe in 1957, is a Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University. His career includes senior leadership roles at Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, Nigerian Gas Company, NNPC Retail, and several major gas infrastructure boards.
He also played a key role in delivering projects such as the Escravos Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the AKK Gas Pipeline, and the Nigeria LNG Train developments.
