Godsent Ogbebor
Tinubu Seeks Senate Approval for Oil Regulators
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm new chief executives for Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory agencies following the resignation of their current heads.
The request was made after Engineer Farouk Ahmed resigned as head of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, while Gbenga Komolafe stepped down as chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
Both men were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari after the creation of the agencies under the Petroleum Industry Act.
In separate letters to the Senate, President Tinubu nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as chief executive of the upstream regulator and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed to lead the midstream and downstream authority, seeking the lawmakers’ approval.
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Eyesan is a former Executive Vice President for Upstream at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, where she spent nearly 33 years and also served as Group General Manager for Corporate Planning and Strategy before retiring in 2024.
Mohammed, a chemical engineer and former managing director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, has held several senior positions across the oil and gas sector.
He also served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for Gas and Power at the NNPC and recently became an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
The nominations are expected to undergo Senate screening before final confirmation.
