Every big industry has its gatekeepers—the ones who call the shots, set the rules, and make sure the game is played fairly. In Nigeria’s oil sector, those gatekeepers aren’t just regulators; they’re the “sheriffs” of the petroleum frontier. And right now, there are some new faces wearing the badges in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu has nominated fresh replacements to lead the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), following the reported resignations of their former chiefs.
It’s a shake-up that echoes the earlier reshuffle at state-owned oil giant NNPC in April, sending tremors across the entire sector.
Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is notoriously complex—big money, big politics, and even bigger expectations.
So when new leaders step in, it’s rarely just a routine change of guard. More often, it signals a power shift that could ripple through everything from corporate operations to government revenues.
So, who exactly are these new sheriffs? What do they bring to the table? And how might their arrival reshape a sector that remains the lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy—and historically, a theatre of power, money, and influence?
Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan for NUPRC
More than one year after completing her role as Executive Vice President (Upstream) at state-owned NNPC Limited, Eyesan has again been nominated by President Tinubu to lead the NUPRC.
The retired graduate of Economics from the University of Benin with over 30 years of experience in NNPC and previously served as its Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2019 to 2023.
She has always been instrumental to many milestones recorded by the NNPC, driving the strategic, fiscal, commercial, and regulatory conversations that led to the enactment of the PIA and the transformation of the then NNPC into a fully commercial entity.
Eyesan is expected to leverage her upstream knowledge at NNPC, where she contributed to raising Nigeria’s crude oil production, to not only manage but also sustain the current investment tempo in the country’s upstream sector.
Her immediate task will be how to successfully complete the recently launched 2025 oil licensing round that features 50 blocks and already generated interest among Big Oil.
Saidu Aliyu Mohammed for NMDPRA
A 68-year-old chemical engineer from Nigeria’s northeastern state of Gombe, Mohammed has been picked by President Tinubu to replace Farouk Ahmed in the role. He attended Government Secondary School in Gombe and Ahmadu Bello University (Zaria), from where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 1981.
Once a group executive director/chief operator at Gas & Power Directorate, Mohammed has provided strategic leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, like the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code and the Petroleum Industry Act.
Also, he was formerly Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company, where he contributed to the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, as well as expansion works at Nigeria LNG.
The new NMDPRA sheriff has also been announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy, having previously served as Chair of the boards of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries and NNPC Retail.
Why the sudden reshuffle?
The surprise nominations follow an ongoing heated dispute between the president of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, and the chief executive of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, whom Dangote has accused of corruption and of sabotaging the efforts of his mega refinery in the Lekki Free Trade Zone of Lagos.
Africa’s richest man leveled personal allegations against the NMDPRA chief, claiming that Ahmed was living beyond his legitimate means. Specifically, he alleged that the agency boss spent over $5 million to send four of his children to secondary schools in Switzerland.
Ahmed has said he will not engage in a public war of words but would rather allow “an opportunity to dispassionately distill the issues and clear his name.”
Meanwhile, following a closed-door visit by Ahmed to the presidential villa in Abuja, President Tinubu—who also serves as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources—named two candidates to replace him and his upstream counterpart.
Both officials had been appointed to the agencies in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to champion the implementation of the landmark Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
According to the provisions of the PIA, they are entitled to a five-year tenure, which can be renewed once. The law, however, also states that the occupants may resign or be removed by the president before the end of their tenure.
It is understood that the presidency has transmitted the names of the nominated replacements to the Senate for approval.
