By Editor
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has moved to recalibrate Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory architecture, nominating two seasoned industry professionals to head the country’s upstream and midstream/downstream regulators at a critical moment for investment, production growth, and reform delivery.
In letters to the Senate, the President requested expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The nominations follow the resignations of Engineer Farouk Ahmed (NMDPRA) and Gbenga Komolafe (NUPRC), both appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the regulators established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). Their exits open a new chapter for institutions central to Tinubu’s economic agenda, which prioritises energy security, gas-led growth, and renewed investor confidence.
Eyesan brings nearly 33 years of experience across the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and its subsidiaries, retiring recently as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024). An Economics graduate of the University of Benin, she previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2019 to 2023, a role that placed her at the heart of long-term investment planning, portfolio optimisation, and reform execution. Her nomination signals continuity in upstream policy, with an emphasis on production recovery, fiscal stability, and disciplined capital allocation.
For the midstream and downstream space, Tinubu has tapped Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, a veteran gas and refining executive with deep operational and policy credentials. Born in 1957 and a Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Mohammed has held some of the industry’s most consequential leadership roles, including Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company. He also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, where he helped shape Nigeria’s gas policy architecture, contributing to the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and the PIA itself.
Mohammed’s track record includes delivery and oversight of landmark projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train expansions. His recent appointment as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy underscores his standing across both public and private sector energy circles.
If confirmed, the two chief executives will inherit regulators under pressure to translate reform into results—streamlining approvals, enforcing compliance, expanding gas infrastructure, and anchoring Nigeria’s ambition to become a competitive, rules-based energy destination.
For markets and investors, the nominations are an early signal of how the Tinubu administration intends to marry experience with execution as it seeks to unlock value across the petroleum value chain.
