In a major shakeup within Nigeria’s energy sector, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm new chief executives for the nation’s two key petroleum regulatory bodies.

This follows the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and Gbenga Komolafe, the head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the agencies established by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

President Tinubu has nominated seasoned industry professionals to fill the vacancies. He has requested the Senate’s expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the new CEO of the NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the new CEO of the NMDPRA.

Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, an Economics graduate from the University of Benin, brings nearly 33 years of experience from the NNPC and its subsidiaries. She recently retired as the Executive Vice President, Upstream, and previously served as Group General Manager of Corporate Planning and Strategy.

Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, a 1981 Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, has held pivotal roles including Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company. He also served as Group Executive Director for Gas & Power at NNPC, where he provided strategic leadership for major national projects like the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline and contributed to the development of the Gas Masterplan and the PIA.

The President’s request underscores an immediate effort to ensure leadership stability in the critical oil and gas sector following the top-level resignations.