The Nigerian Senate is set to confirm President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nominees for leadership positions in two of the country’s critical petroleum regulatory agencies following their screening by the Committee of the Whole on Thursday, 18 December 2025.
Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Nigerian Senate, announced at plenary that he had received letters from President Tinubu seeking confirmation for new chief executives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), “in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.”
Reading from the letters, Akpabio confirmed that Engineer Saidu Muhammad had been nominated as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA pursuant to Section 41(6) of the Act. President Tinubu explained that the nomination followed the resignation of the former NMDPRA chief and emphasized the urgency of confirming a new leader to prevent a vacuum in an agency overseeing midstream and downstream operations, including the authorization of vessel movements.
“I hope that the Senate will consider and confirm the nominee expeditiously,” President Tinubu said, assuring the legislature of his highest regard.
Due to time constraints and the strategic importance of the position, Akpabio referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for immediate consideration. Similarly, Oritsemeyi Amanorisewo Eyesan was nominated as Chief Executive of the NUPRC under Section 11(3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. Tinubu noted that her appointment was necessary following the resignation of the commission’s former head and urged swift Senate action to ensure stability in the upstream petroleum sector.
The screening session, which took place at Senate Room 117 in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, was largely routine. After verification of their résumés and a few questions, the nominees were essentially asked to “take a bow and go,” reflecting the Senate’s intent to expedite confirmation.
This development follows major changes in Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory landscape after the resignations of Farouk Ahmed, former Chief Executive of NMDPRA, and Gbenga Komolafe, former NUPRC Chief Executive. The resignations were announced on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, amid controversy triggered by a petition from Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest businessman and founder of the Dangote Group, regarding fuel importation, pricing, and regulatory oversight issues affecting his refinery operations.
Confirming the nominations, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, described both Muhammad and Eyesan as highly experienced professionals in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Muhammad, born in 1957 in Gombe State, Nigeria, is a chemical engineer and former Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He also chaired boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail. Eyesan graduated in Economics from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and spent nearly 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries, retiring as Executive Vice President, Upstream, from 2023 to 2024.
Okay News reports that both nominations are expected to be confirmed swiftly, ending a period of uncertainty in Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory agencies.
