President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as chief executives of Nigeria’s key petroleum regulatory agencies, following the resignation of the current heads of the institutions.
The President’s request seeks Senate approval for the appointment of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The nominations follow the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, who headed the NMDPRA, and Gbenga Komolafe, former CEO of the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the two regulatory bodies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In his communication to the Senate, President Tinubu requested expedited consideration and confirmation of the nominees to ensure continuity and stability in the regulation of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The two nominees are seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the petroleum industry. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan is a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin and spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, serving from 2023 to 2024, and previously held the position of Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at the NNPC between 2019 and 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He was announced on the same day as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His professional career includes serving as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He has also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
Engineer Mohammed further served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Gas and Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code, and key contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act.
He played significant roles in the delivery of major national energy infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and the Nigeria LNG Train project.
The nominations were conveyed in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
