About 24 hours after the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote raised eyebrow on alleged corrupt dealings by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engineer Farouk Ahmed, President Bola Tinubu may have forced him to resign.
The resignation of Farouk Ahmed was announced today, December 17, by the Presidency, suggesting “forced” action. President Tinubu quickly picked Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as replacement for Farouk Ahmed as NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer.
A statement by the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said that Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe also resigned at the same time.
Onanuga said that President Tinubu asked the Senate to approve the nominations of the two new chief executives whose names were forwarded for approval.
There were no reasons given for the “resignation” of the two officers, but Onanuga’s statement said that they were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Only yesterday, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) confirmed receipt of a petition from Aliko Dangote on alleged corrupt dealings by Engineer Farouk Ahmed. Though the Commission did not give details of the petition, Dangote had, at a different time and place, accused Engineer Farouk Ahmed of spending billions of dollars in school fees of his children, saying that such amount of money raised a lot of questions against the background of his legitimate earnings.
The Presidency statement today said that Tinubu had in a letter, asked Senate to also confirm Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as new CEO of NUPRC.
“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/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).
“Engineer Mohammed played a pivotal role in delivering key projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train.”
