Dare Babalola
The Senate has confirmed Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The lawmaker also ratified the mappointment of Saidu Mohammed as the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The confirmations came after the Senate’s joint committee, led by Senator Abdulrahman Kawu, presented its report.
Farouk Ahmed, ex-MD of NMDPRA, resigned on Wednesday amidst corruption allegations made by Dangote Group Chairman Aliko Dangote.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga announced this in a statement, adding that Gbenga Komolafe had also stepped down as NUPRC’s chief executive.
Following the resignations, President Bola Tinubu requested the Senate expedite the confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as NUPRC CEO and Mohammed as NMDPRA chief, citing their expertise in the oil and gas sector.
The House of Representatives summoned both parties, directing them to halt public statements. This followed Aliko Dangote’s petition to the ICPC, accusing ex-NMDPRA MD Farouk Ahmed of corruption and financial misconduct.
In the petition submitted through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, Africa’s richest man asked the anti-graft agency to arrest, investigate, and prosecute the former NMDPRA chief.
He accused him of living beyond his means, claiming four of his children had attended secondary schools in Switzerland, with costs running into several millions of dollars.
Dangote alleged that approximately $5 million had been spent on their secondary education and upkeep over six years, plus an extra $2 million on tertiary education, including an alleged $210,000 for a 2025 Harvard MBA programme for one of Ahmed’s children.
The reputed industrialist listed the children’s names and schools they attend, asking the ICPC to prosecute Ahmed in line with the laws of the land.
“We have no reservation that, being a matter that is in the public domain, the Commission will not close its eyes to it but act decisively to ensure that justice is done and the good image of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is protected,” part of the petition read.
The ICPC acknowledged receipt of the petition, promising that it will be “duly investigated.”
But Ahmed, in a terse statement, described Dangote’s claims as “wild and spurious.”
“While I am aware of the wild and spurious allegations made against me and my family and the frenzy it has generated, as a regulator of a sensitive industry, I have opted not to engage in public brickbat,” he added.
