By Ibrahim Muhammad
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as chief executive officers of Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory agencies, following the resignation of their current heads.
The nominations were announced in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The President is seeking Senate 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 followed 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 head the regulatory bodies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In a letter to the Senate, President Tinubu requested an expedited confirmation process for the nominees, describing them as seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the oil and gas sector.
Eyesan, an Economics graduate of the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream, in 2024, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, from 2019 to 2023.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He was recently announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His past roles include Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, as well as board chairmanship positions at the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
He also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate, where he played key roles in shaping Nigeria’s gas policy framework, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act. His project experience includes the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
