The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engineer Farouk Ahmed, has resigned from office following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Ahmed’s resignation came amid allegations of corruption and economic sabotage levelled against him by billionaire businessman and President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote.
President Tinubu had, on Wednesday, summoned Ahmed over the allegations, which were published in a paid advertisement in a newspaper on 16 December. Shortly after the meeting, Ahmed stepped down from his position.
In the same development, Gbenga Komolafe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), also resigned.
The resignations were confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
Dangote’s allegations against Farouk Ahmed
In the newspaper publication, Dangote accused Ahmed of corruption and economic sabotage, alleging that the NMDPRA boss spent public funds on the foreign education of his children.
According to the advert, Ahmed allegedly spent over US$5 million on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland. The advertisement provided a breakdown of the alleged expenses, including tuition, airfare, and living costs, for each child over a six-year period.
The advertisement further claimed that one of Ahmed’s children also completed an MBA at Harvard in 2025 at a cost exceeding US$200,000.
The publication, signed in Dangote’s name, concluded with the line: “FACTS DON’T LIE!”, while questioning how a public official could afford such expenses when many Nigerians struggle to pay basic school fees.
Doubling down on the claims, Dangote also petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), calling for Ahmed’s arrest, investigation and prosecution. He accused the former NMDPRA boss of “living beyond his means” as a public officer.
Tinubu nominates new heads of NMDPRA, NUPRC
Following the resignations, President Tinubu swiftly nominated new chief executives for both regulatory agencies and requested that the Senate confirm them.
In the statement by Onanuga, the presidency said: “Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).”
The statement added: “The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC.”
It further noted: “Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).”
To replace them, Tinubu nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as chief executive of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as chief executive of the NMDPRA.
According to the presidency, “To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.”
Profile of the nominees
Eyesan is a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin and reportedly spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice-President, Upstream, in 2024, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, from 2019 to 2023.
On Mohammed, the presidency said: “Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering.”
The statement added: “His prior roles include Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company, as well as Chair of the boards of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.”
Mohammed also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, where he played key roles in projects such as the Escravos–Lagos pipeline expansion and the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) gas pipeline.
President Tinubu has requested that the Senate expedite the consideration and confirmation of the nominees.
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