Engineer Farouk Ahmed has resigned as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) following allegations levelled against him by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday evening by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The resignation comes amid public controversy sparked by Dangote, who accused Ahmed of corruption and alleged that the former NMDPRA boss spent about $5 million (approximately ₦7 billion) to educate four of his children in Switzerland. Dangote had called for a thorough investigation, raising concerns about the lifestyle of public office holders in relation to their declared earnings.
Following Ahmed’s exit, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of new nominees to the Senate for confirmation to head both the NMDPRA and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The nominations also follow the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the NUPRC. Both Ahmed and Komolafe were appointed in 2021 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a letter to the Senate, President Tinubu requested the expedited confirmation of Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, and Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC.
Eyesan is a veteran oil and gas professional with nearly 33 years of experience at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its subsidiaries. Before retiring in 2024, she served as Executive Vice President, Upstream, where she played a key role in managing Nigeria’s upstream petroleum operations.
Engineer Mohammed, a graduate of Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, has held several senior leadership positions in the energy sector, including roles at the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for Gas and Power at NNPC, contributing significantly to major gas infrastructure projects and the implementation of policy frameworks under the Petroleum Industry Act.
The resignations and fresh nominations mark a major shake-up in Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory leadership amid growing public scrutiny and calls for transparency in the oil and gas sector.
