Faced With Allegations Of Corruption By Dangote, NMDPRA Boss, Resigns Tinubu Replaces Him

By Adesina Soyooye

Embroiled by allegations of corruption to the tune of about seven million US Dollars made against him by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, the Managing Director of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, has been forced to resign from office. President Bola Tinubu who accepted his resignation, immediately, appointed his replacement, Saidu Mohammed, an Engineer.

Ahmed was appointed by the Government of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, and was expected to leave office in September 2026 before the corruption allegations swept him out.

And as if seeking a balancing act, President Tinubu also removed from office the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum  Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Gbenga Komolafe and replaced him with Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan.

Main Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement Wednesday night said: “President Tinubu has formally written to the Senate, seeking 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.

“The request for expedited confirmation follows the resignations of Engineer Farouk Ahmed and Gbenga Komolafe, who were appointed in 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the agencies established by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

“Both nominees bring extensive experience in the oil and gas sector. Ms Eyesan, an Economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, from 2019 to 2023.

Mr Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1981). He was recently appointed an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.

“His career highlights include serving as Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, as well as chairing the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.

“Mr Mohammed also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, where he provided leadership on major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Master Plan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

“He was instrumental in delivering critical infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.”