President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as chief executives of Nigeria’s petroleum sector regulators following the resignation of their current heads.
In a request sent to the Senate on Tuesday, the President sought approval for 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 come after the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, former CEO of NMDPRA, and Gbenga Komolafe, former CEO of NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the regulatory agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
President Tinubu urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process, noting the strategic importance of the two agencies to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Eyesan is an economist and seasoned oil industry professional with nearly 33 years’ experience at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. A graduate of the University of Benin, she retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, in 2024, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy between 2019 and 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, is a chemical engineer and alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was recently announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His career spans leadership roles as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, as well as board chairmanships at the 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 on major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act.
Engineer Mohammed was instrumental in the delivery of landmark projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
The nominations are expected to be considered by the Senate in the coming days.