December 17, (THEWILL) — President Bola Tinubu has removed and replaced the heads of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The development was announced in a statement signed on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the President has forwarded the names of two oil and gas professionals to the Senate for confirmation as chief executives of the two key petroleum regulatory agencies.
In separate letters to the upper chamber, Tinubu sought Senate approval for the appointment of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA.
The nominations followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, former head of the NMDPRA, and Gbenga Komolafe, the erstwhile Chief Executive of the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which established the two regulatory bodies.
President Tinubu urged the Senate to give expedited consideration to the nominations, citing the nominees’ extensive experience and proven track records in the oil and gas sector.
Eyesan is a seasoned industry professional with nearly 33 years of service at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its subsidiaries. A graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, she retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, between 2023 and 2024. She also served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC 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, obtained in 1981. He was recently appointed an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His career includes stints as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He has also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries and NNPC Retail.
Mohammed further served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership for major national gas initiatives and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code and key contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act.
He played key roles in the execution of critical infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
The Presidency said the nominations reflect President Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening regulatory governance in the petroleum sector and ensuring effective implementation of the PIA to drive growth, transparency and investment.
