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Gbenga Komolafe Too
- Safiu Kehinde
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, has resigned amid corruption allegation filed against him by Nigerian billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote.
NPO Reported that Dangote had yesterday petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes (ICPC) to probe Farouk over alleged and financial misappropriation.
Dangote had filed the petition hours after disclosing how the NMDPRA boss alleged paid $5 million in school fees for his four children.
While Farouk had in a statement issued earlier today welcomed the probe, he would however tender is resignation.
This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President in Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, Farouk had alongside Gbenga Komolafe, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) tendered his resignation.
Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In their stead, President Bola Tinubu has nominated their successors to the Senate for approval.
Tinubu in a letter written to the Senate, requested expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
As profiled by Onanuga, 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.
Engineer Saidu Aliyu 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).
Engineer 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.