Tinubu replaces NMDPRA, NUPRC bosses

The downstream and upstream regulatory ecosystem of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry was reshuffled yesterday with the unexpected exit of the two chief executives. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and nominated their […]

The downstream and upstream regulatory ecosystem of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry was reshuffled yesterday with the unexpected exit of the two chief executives.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and nominated their replacements for Senate confirmation.
The affected officials are Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, the Commission Chief Executive (CCE) of NUPRC, and Engineer Farouk Ahmed, Authority Chief Executive of the NMDPRA.
Both were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to head the two regulatory agencies created under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
This was contained in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, with the claim that the duo resigned their appointments.
The sack of Ahmed came amid allegations of sleaze and abuse of office by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; allegations he described as spurious.
Following their removal, President Tinubu forwarded new nominations to the Senate, requesting expedited approval.
He nominated Ms. Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
Ms. Eyesan is a former Executive Vice President (Upstream) at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), with nearly 33 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. She is a graduate of economics from the University of Benin and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, at NNPCL.
Engineer Mohammed, a chemical engineer and former Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, has held several senior positions across the petroleum sector. His experience includes roles as Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, as well as board chairmanship at the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries and NNPC Retail.
President Tinubu said the nominations were aimed at strengthening leadership and regulatory effectiveness in Nigeria’s petroleum sector in line with the objectives of the Petroleum Industry Act.

Shocking exit of 2 regulators
Four years after the enactment of the PIA 2021, the industry witnessed a major shake-up with the forced resignation of Komolafe and Ahmed.
Both were appointed as pioneer chief executives of the two agencies created from the old Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). They were shouldered with the responsibility of implementing the PIA which took decades before its passage, and its implementation provided direction for the highly sensitive industry.
However, the exit of Ahmed came amid the recent brawl with Dangote Refinery, with Africa’s richest man calling for his head and submitting a petition against him before the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Dangote’s grouse
Dangote accused the leadership of the NMDPRA of frustrating local refining through the continued issuance of petroleum product import licences despite growing domestic refining capacity.
He claimed that import licences covering about 7.5 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) had reportedly been issued for the first quarter of 2026, even as local refiners struggled to operate profitably.
Dangote also alleged that Engr Ahmed was living beyond his legitimate means, citing claims that four of his children attended secondary schools in Switzerland at the cost of several million dollars.
He said the allegations raised serious concerns about conflicts of interest and the integrity of regulatory oversight in the downstream petroleum sector.
Although Ahmed did not respond to the allegations, he simply described them as “wild and spurious” in a statement debunking a comment purportedly made by him.
The announcement of the resignation of the duo came after a visit to the president at the presidential villa where sources said he was advised to resign.
Our correspondent learnt that the decision to ask him to resign was not unconnected with the issue with Dangote Refinery.
“But he was actually given a soft landing,” a source said, adding, “This is imperative to protect the integrity and credibility of the industry.”
Meanwhile, reactions started trailing the exit of the two regulators.
Experts and stakeholders in the oil and gas industry said their exit would inject fresh blood into the system.
Dr Ayodele Oni, an oil and gas expert, in a chat with Daily Trust, said, “I think the resignations are coincidental with the Dangote accusations and were probably in the works prior to now as their replacements have been chosen already and so swiftly.
“It may well be that the accusations were the last straw, but I believe the replacement of both men was already in the works. Generally, it is not a bad idea to inject fresh blood, and I think considering the last few years of controversy in the sector, it was always going to happen.”
He stated that the sack of the two regulators would not affect the activities in the sectors.
He further said, “It is government policy and he was only implementing the same. The rules and guidelines are in place and the new helms person will continue from where he stopped.”
The National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Dr Billy Gillis-Harry, said the duo had done their best and expressed optimism that their replacements would serve Nigeria better.
He said, “In my own opinion, they have done their bits. So, if it has come to a point when they think they need to shift grounds for others to continue from where they stopped, I think it is a welcome idea. The president has already accepted their resignation and he has nominated people to replace them.”
Daily Trust reports that PETROAN, in an earlier statement, expressed concerns over the crisis between Dangote Refinery and the regulator.
It called on President Tinubu, the leadership of the Committees on Petroleum Midstream and Downstream sectors of the National Assembly and relevant regulatory authorities to urgently intervene in the ongoing impasse within Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
PETROAN also said it condemned any pronouncement or announcement of petroleum product prices by individuals, corporate bodies or agencies.
The statement reads in part: “Such actions directly contravene the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021, which explicitly stipulates that downstream petroleum prices should be determined by market forces and fair commercial practices.
“Section 205(1) of the PIA mandates that wholesale and retail prices be based on unrestricted free-market conditions, with regulatory oversight primarily aimed at preventing monopolistic practices.”
Gillis-Harry observed that recent allegations and disparaging remarks directed at the leadership of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, posed a serious threat to investor confidence and could undermine Nigeria’s regulatory institutions.