The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, alongside his counterpart in Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe have turned in their resignation letters.
The resignation wave rocked the two regulatory agencies following recent allegations of corruption and economic sabotage levelled against them by a renowned industrialist and founder of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Aliko Dangote.
Consequently, President Tinubu has requested the Senate to confirm the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
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A statement by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said the requests followed the resignation of Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Komolafe of the NUPRC, who were both appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
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.
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).
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.
Accusation against Farouk
On Tuesday, Africa’s richest man and President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, formally petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged corruption, abuse of office and illicit enrichment by NMDPRA MD, Ahmed.
Dangote, in the petition dated December 16 and addressed to the ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), demanded the arrest, investigation and prosecution of Ahmed, accusing him of living far above his legitimate means as a public servant.
At a press conference in Lagos, he released details alleging that the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, spent over $5 million on the foreign secondary education of his four children in Switzerland.
The dispute between Dangote and Ahmed dates back to July 2024, when the NMDPRA CEO said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, produced inferior products compared to those imported into the country.
The allegations were contained in a circular sighted by SaharaReporters, signed by Dangote, under the heading “ALLEGATION,” and addressed directly to the NMDPRA boss.
In the document, Dangote alleged that Farouk Ahmed “spent over $5 million on his four children’s foreign secondary education in Switzerland,” listing the names of the children as Faisal Farouk, Farouk Jr., Ashraf Farouk and Farhana Farouk.
The circular further listed the secondary schools allegedly attended by the children as Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institute Le Rosey and La Garenne International School. According to the document, each child reportedly spent six years at the respective institutions.
Breaking down the estimated costs, the circular claimed that “Annual Tuition, Air tickets and upkeep per child – $200,000 by 4 is $800,000,” while “Total living expenses per child and Air tickets for 6 years = $1,200,000 by 4 children – $4,800,000.”
It added that the “Approximate Total Fees for Tuition and Upkeep” amounted to “$5,000,000.”
Dangote also raised questions about the cost of the children’s tertiary education, stating that “Tuition, upkeep, Air Tickets and other expenses is Approximately $125,000 per annum by 4 years $500,000 x 4 children = $2,000,000.”
The circular singled out one of the children, Faisal Farouk, alleging that he “just finished 2025 Harvard MBA at $150,000 and $60,000 for upkeep, tickets and other incidentals,” with a “TOTAL = $210,000 spent in 2025 for Faisal’s MBA,” declaring that in the document: “FACTS DON’T LIE!”
However, Farouk Ahmed, in a disclaimer issued and signed by him, noted that he would rather wait to defend himself in the presence of a formal investigative body, rather than engage in public “brickbat” with the entrepreneur.
“My attention has been drawn to a purported response I was said to have made on the recent allegations against my person.
“I hereby state categorically that the so-called statement did not emanate from me.
“While I am aware of the wild and spurious allegations made against me and my family and the frenzy it has generated, as a regulator of a sensitive industry, I have opted not to engage in public brickbat.
