Tinubu replaces oil regulators after Dangote clash forces exits

President Bola Tinubu has moved to reset Nigeria’s oil and gas regulation after the heads of two key agencies resigned amid an escalating dispute with billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote over fuel imports and refinery protection.

Tinubu on Tuesday asked the Senate to confirm new chief executives for the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), following the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe and Farouk Ahmed.

The shake-up comes after Dangote publicly accused NMDPRA, under Ahmed, of undermining domestic refining by allowing large volumes of imported petrol into the country at prices he described as “dumped,” threatening the viability of his 650,000-barrel-per-day Lagos refinery, Africa’s largest.

He also accused Ahmed of spending millions of dollars, far above his legitimate earnings, to finance his children education in Switzerland.

Dangote later escalated the dispute by filing a formal petition to the ICPC against Ahmed, raising governance concerns and questioning how the regulator financed a royalty-like overseas lifestyle. Ahmed denied wrongdoing, saying he would not engage in “public brickbat.”

In a statement issued by the presidency Wednesday, Tinubu nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as chief executive of NUPRC and Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as head of NMDPRA, requesting the Senate’s expedited confirmation.

Profiles

Eyesan, an economist and former Executive Vice President for Upstream at NNPC, spent nearly 33 years at the national oil company before retiring in 2024. She also previously served as Group General Manager for Corporate Planning and Strategy.

Mohammed, a chemical engineer and former Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power at NNPC, has held top roles across Nigeria’s energy sector, including managing director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company. He was also named on Tuesday as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.

Both agencies were created under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to insulate regulation from political interference and provide clarity to investors. However, the Dangote dispute has exposed tensions between market liberalisation, fuel import policy and the government’s push for domestic refining.

Nigeria has struggled for decades with fuel shortages, import dependence and subsidy distortions, despite being Africa’s largest crude producer. The Dangote refinery, long promoted by the government as a game-changer, began operations amid expectations it would slash imports and stabilise supply.

Instead, the public confrontation between the refinery owner and regulators has fuelled concerns over policy coherence, regulatory credibility and the state’s commitment to protecting local investment.