Farouk Ahmed has resigned as chief executive officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
President Tinubu summoned Mr Ahmed to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday after allegations of economic sabotage and corruption.
Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive officer of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, also resigned.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.
Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Industries Limited, had accused Ahmed of corruption and economic sabotage in a paid newspaper advert published on December 16.
Dangote alleged that the former NMDPRA chief spent “taxpayers’” funds amounting to $5 million on the secondary school education of his children in Switzerland and published a breakdown of the expenditure.
He also petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, calling for Ahmed’s arrest, investigation and prosecution and accused him of “living beyond his means” as a public official.
Following the meeting with Tinubu on Wednesday, Ahmed tendered his resignation.
In the statement, Mr Onanuga said the president has forwarded new nominations 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 Mr Eyesan is a graduate of economics from the University of Benin and spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and its subsidiaries.
She retired as executive vice president of upstream in 2024 and previously served as group general manager of corporate planning and strategy from 2019 to 2023.
The presidency also provided details on Mohammed.
“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 statement 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).”
Bayo Onanuga added that Mohammed was involved in projects including the Escravos Lagos pipeline expansion, the Ajaokuta Kaduna Kano gas pipeline and the Nigeria LNG train.
