By: ThinkBusiness Africa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed new leadership for Nigeria’s primary petroleum regulatory bodies. The move follows the sudden resignations of the previous heads on Wednesday, amid a high-stakes corruption scandal involving billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote.
The Nigerian President has formally requested the Senate to approve the confirmation for two seasoned industry veterans:
- Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan (CEO, NUPRC): An economist with over 30 years of experience at NNPC Ltd, she succeeds Gbenga Komolafe at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC)
- Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed (CEO, NMDPRA): A chemical engineer and former Managing Director of the Kaduna Refinery, he replaces Farouk Ahmed at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The administrative overhaul comes just 24 hours after Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, submitted a formal petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) against the outgoing NMDPRA chief, Farouk Ahmed.
In the petition filed on Tuesday, Dangote alleged that Ahmed spent over $7 million on the elite education and upkeep of his four children in Switzerland—an amount Dangote argued far exceeds the legitimate earnings of a career public servant.
The billionaire accused the regulator of undermining domestic refining by continuing to issue import licenses for “inferior” petroleum products, despite the Dangote Refinery’s capacity to meet national demand.
The petition also raised concerns over a move to pay oil marketers N200 billion in “bridging claims” without verifiable data, characterizing it as a scheme to divert public funds.
Dangote and Farouk feud started earlier this year, when the downstream regulatory boss said petroleum products from the 650,000 capacity Dangote refinery were substandard in quality compared to imported petroleum products.
Dangote dismissed the claims by conducting live test results of his refinery finished products to Nigerian House of Representatives members who came to investigate the inferiority claims.
The Presidency said both Ahmed and Komolafe resigned immediately following a closed-door meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa. suggesting a decisive move by the Tinubu administration to end a public feud that threatened to destabilize the market.
Before his exit, Farouk Ahmed dismissed Dangote’s allegations as “wild and spurious,” stating he would clear his name through the formal ICPC investigation rather than engage in a “public brickbat.” He said in a statement on Wednesday.
The appointment of Eyesan and Mohammed is being hailed by sector analysts as a strategic move to restore investor confidence. Eyesan, in particular, is tasked with the ambitious goal of boosting Nigeria’s crude oil production to 3 million barrels per day, while Mohammed must stabilize the downstream sector and resolve the ongoing friction between the government and local refiners.
