Eshiorameh Sebastian, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives to lead Nigeria’s pivotal petroleum regulatory bodies, following the resignation of the previous office holders.
The President has requested the expedited confirmation of Ms. Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Engr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
This was confirmed in a statement by Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy) on Wednesday.
This request follows the resignation of the agencies’ former heads, Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Mr. Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
The nominees are seasoned professionals with extensive careers in the oil and gas industry.
Ms. Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan is a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin. She spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries, retiring most recently as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024). She previously served as the Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC from 2019 to 2023.
Engr. 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 today as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His distinguished career includes serving as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) and the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC). He also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
As Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Gas & Power Directorate, Engr. Mohammed provided strategic leadership for major national projects and policy frameworks, including the Nigerian Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
He played a pivotal role in delivering critical infrastructure projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline System expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.
The President anticipates that the Senate will consider and confirm these nominations promptly to ensure continuity and strategic leadership in the nation’s vital petroleum sector.
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