Farouk Ahmed has resigned as the chief executive officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
His resignation followed a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, amid allegations of economic sabotage and corruption.
Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive officer of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, also resigned. This was confirmed in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.
The development comes after Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Industries Limited, accused Ahmed of corruption and economic sabotage.
Dangote alleged that the NMDPRA chief spent taxpayers’ funds amounting to five million dollars on the secondary school education of his children in Switzerland, and released a breakdown of the expenditure to the media.
He later petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, calling for Ahmed’s arrest, investigation and prosecution. Dangote also accused him of “living beyond his means” as a public official.
Following the allegations, President Tinubu summoned Ahmed on Wednesday.
Announcing the resignations, Onanuga said:
“President Bola Ahmed 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 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.
“The two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.
“Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at 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.
“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 and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and 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).
“Engineer Mohammed played a pivotal role in delivering key projects such as the Escravos Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta Kaduna Kano Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train.”
