NMDPRA CEO Farouk Ahmed resigns after meeting with Tinubu

Farouk Ahmed, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has resigned following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu, on Wednesday, summoned Ahmed to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, following allegations of economic sabotage and corruption.

Gbenga Komolafe, the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), also resigned, according to a statement on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.

Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), had accused Ahmed of acts of corruption and economic sabotage in a paid newspaper advert published on December 16.

Dangote said the NMDPRA chief had spent “taxpayers'” funds amounting to $5 million on the secondary school education of his children in Switzerland, releasing a breakdown of the expenditure in the published advert.

Doubling down on his allegations, the billionaire petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the matter, calling for Ahmed’s arrest, investigation, and prosecution, and accusing him of “living beyond his means” as a public official.

Following the development, Tinubu summoned the CEO on Wednesday — a meeting that swiftly led to Ahmed’s resignation.

Speaking in the statement, Onanuga said Tinubu nominated successors to the senate for approval.

“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 reads.

“The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC.

“Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

“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.”

Onanuga said the two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.

Eyesan, a graduate of economics from the University of Benin, reportedly spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries.

The presidency said she retired as an executive vice-president of upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as group general manager of corporate planning and strategy at the NNPC from 2019 to 2023.

“Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. He was announced today as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy,” the presidency said.

“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.

“He also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).”

Onanuga said Mohammed played a pivotal role in delivering key projects such as the Escravos-Lagos pipeline expansion, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, and the Nigeria LNG train.