The Nigerian Senate recently confirmed the appointments of Mohammed as NMDPRA CEO and Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), following screenings and recommendations by the Joint Committees on Petroleum (Upstream, Downstream, and Gas).
The recent confirmation of Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has come under scrutiny, with sources telling SaharaReporters that he played a major role in the collapse of the Kaduna refinery.
The Nigerian Senate recently confirmed the appointments of Mohammed as NMDPRA CEO and Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), following screenings and recommendations by the Joint Committees on Petroleum (Upstream, Downstream, and Gas).
The confirmations were secured at plenary last Friday, after the Senate considered and adopted the committees’ report on the nominees.
The request for confirmation had been transmitted to the Senate by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday, a day after he announced the nominees to fill vacancies left by the resignations of the immediate past heads of the two petroleum sector regulators.
Mohammed, who assumes leadership of NMDPRA, previously served as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company.
He also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
Sources note that Mohammed was at the helm of Kaduna Refining when the facility experienced a major operational collapse.
“Saidu Mohammed, who has been appointed as CEO of the downstream petroleum regulatory authority, was the one who collapsed Kaduna refinery,” an industry source said.
The Kaduna Refinery remains a "ghost refinery," with minimal staff and operations, despite NNPCL's commitment to finding a "sustainable solution".
It has faced prolonged shutdown and decay due to mismanagement, lack of crude oil, corruption, and underinvestment.
SaharaReporters also learnt that Eyesan, appointed to lead NUPRC, had worked closely with Mele Kyari during Kyari’s tenure as Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) from 2019 to 2025.
In April 2025, President Tinubu removed Mele Kyari and other NNPC Ltd. board members.
They were reportedly sacked due to concerns about their performance.
Bashir Ojulari was subsequently appointed as the new Group CEO, effective April 2, 2025.
The recent appointments follow the resignations of Farouk Ahmed as CEO of NMDPRA and Gbenga Komalafe as CEO of NUPRC. Ahmed had faced corruption allegations from Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote.
The billionaire businessman is the President of Dangote Group, which owns Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Observers note that the appointment of the new regulators has been welcomed by Dangote, who is seen as gaining influence over Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory framework.
“Aliko Dangote is feeling triumphant over the appointment of the regulators,” the source said.
Dangote’s Allegations Against Farouk Ahmed
Dangote 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.