Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory landscape has been shaken after Farouk Ahmed resigned as chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), following corruption allegations made by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote.
President Bola Tinubu has formally informed the Senate of Ahmed’s resignation and nominated Saidu Aliyu Mohammed to lead the downstream regulator, signalling a swift move to stabilise oversight in Africa’s largest oil-producing nation.
The presidency also requested Senate confirmation for a new head of the upstream regulator, widening the scope of the leadership overhaul.
The resignation comes days after Dangote petitioned Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing Ahmed of living beyond his legitimate earnings as a public official.
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During a public briefing in Lagos on December 14, Dangote alleged that Ahmed was paying approximately $5 million annually in tuition fees for his children at a Swiss school—an amount that raised public concern given Nigeria’s public-sector pay structure.
Dangote, whose $20 billion Lekki refinery is expected to significantly alter Nigeria’s fuel supply dynamics, further accused the former regulator of economic sabotage, claiming regulatory decisions were tilted in favour of fuel importers rather than domestic refiners. Ahmed has yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
Beyond the downstream regulator, President Tinubu also nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), following the resignation of its former head, Gbenga Komolafe.
Both outgoing executives were appointed in 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari as part of reforms introduced by the Petroleum Industry Act.
The presidency described the new nominees as experienced professionals capable of restoring confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas governance. Mohammed, a chemical engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, previously led the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, and currently serves as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
Eyesan, an economist and former executive vice president at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, brings more than three decades of upstream sector experience.
The rapid leadership changes underscore Tinubu’s determination to assert tighter control over a sector that remains central to Nigeria’s economy and foreign exchange earnings.
For investors and industry observers, the episode highlights both the government’s reform ambitions and the persistent challenges of transparency and accountability in the country’s energy industry.
As the Senate reviews the nominations, attention remains firmly fixed on how authorities will handle the allegations raised by Dangote—whose refinery project is widely seen as critical to Nigeria’s push to reduce long-standing dependence on fuel imports.
