The appointments of Saidu Mohammed as CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority(NMDPRA) and Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission have been approved by the Senate.
The confirmations came after a bipartisan Senate committee led by Senator Abdulrahman Kawu reviewed and approved a report.
This comes one day after Aliko Dangote, the chairman of the Dangote Group, accused Farouk Ahmed of wrongdoing, leading him to resign as the NMDPRA’s chief executive. Gbenga Komolafe resigned as the NUPRC’s chief executive, as previously revealed by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga.
After Dangote filed a petition with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, accusing Ahmed of financial wrongdoing and corruption, the scandal surrounding the former head of NMDPRA grew more intense. The appeal, filed by his attorney Ogwu Onoja, called for the anti-graft agency to detain, look into, and bring charges against Ahmed.
Read Also: NMDPRA, NUPRC bosses resign as Dangote’s petition rocks sector
Ahmed allegedly lived beyond his means, according to Dangote, who claimed that four of his children spent several million dollars attending secondary schools in Switzerland. He claimed that over the course of six years, around five million dollars were spent on their secondary education and maintenance, plus an additional two million dollars for postsecondary education. One of the children allegedly paid $210,000 in 2025 for an MBA program at Harvard University.
Dangote demanded that the commission to punish Ahmed in line with the law in the petition, which included a list of the children’s names and the schools they attended.
“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 confirmed receipt of the petition and said it would be duly investigated.
On Sunday, the conflict intensified when Dangote accused Ahmed and the NMDPRA leadership of sabotaging the economy. Speaking at a news conference at the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, he said that Nigeria’s reliance on imports was being maintained and domestic refining capability was being undermined by the continuous issue of import licenses for petroleum products.
Additionally, he charged that the regulator was working against domestic refiners by conspiring with foreign dealers and oil importers. In a succinct statement, Ahmed refuted the accusations, calling them baseless.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
