- Tinubu Nominates New CEOs for Oil Regulators Amid Dangote Allegations
- Aliko Dangote accused the NMDPRA of regulatory bias
- Eyesan has spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved changes in the leadership of two major petroleum regulatory agencies, nominating new chief executives for the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Eko Hot Blog reports that the development follows the exit of the agencies’ former heads, Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC, both appointed in 2021 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
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Ahmed’s tenure had recently attracted public attention after Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, accused the NMDPRA of regulatory bias and alleged corruption amid disputes involving Dangote Refinery.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed that President Tinubu has forwarded the names of the nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
According to the statement, the President is seeking the Senate’s approval for the appointment of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC, and Engineer Saidu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.
Eyesan, an Economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, between 2023 and 2024, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2019 to 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 appointed as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His career spans leadership roles as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries and NNPC Retail.
Mohammed previously served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Gas and Power Directorate, where he played key roles in shaping Nigeria’s gas policy frameworks, including the Gas Master Plan, Gas Network Code and the Petroleum Industry Act.
He was also instrumental in the execution of major energy infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG train projects.
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