In a swift process, the upper legislative chamber concluded the screening and confirmation of both nominees within 24 hours of receiving the presidential letter.
The Senate has confirmed the appointments of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The confirmations were secured at plenary following the consideration and adoption of a report by the Joint Committees on Petroleum (Upstream, Downstream and Gas), which screened the nominees and recommended their approval.
The request for confirmation was transmitted to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, barely a day after he announced the nominees to occupy the vacancies created by the resignation of the immediate past heads of the two petroleum sector regulators.
In a swift process, the upper legislative chamber concluded the screening and confirmation of both nominees within 24 hours of receiving the presidential letter.
The confirmations clear the way for Eyesan and Aliyu to immediately assume office at the upstream and midstream/downstream regulators respectively, bodies that play central roles in licensing, regulation and revenue oversight in Nigeria’s petroleum industry under the Petroleum Industry Act.
Dangote’s Allegations Against Farouk Ahmed
Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group, had petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged corruption, abuse of office and illicit enrichment by the former NMDPRA boss, Ahmed.
In the petition dated December 16 and addressed to the ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), the billionaire businessman demanded the arrest, investigation and prosecution of Ahmed.
He accused Ahmed of living far beyond his legitimate earnings as a public servant, alleging that the NMDPRA chief spent more than $7 million on the education of his four children in Switzerland, with school fees reportedly paid upfront for six years.
According to Dangote, such expenditure could not be justified by the cumulative earnings of a career public officer.
He provided the names of the children, the schools they attended and the specific amounts paid for each, urging the ICPC to verify the claims as what he described as “clear evidence of corrupt enrichment.”
Dangote further alleged that Ahmed abused his office by diverting public funds for personal use, accusing him of turning the regulatory authority into a tool for embezzlement and the advancement of private interests at the expense of Nigerians.