PRESIDENT TINUBU NOMINATES ORITSEMEYIWA EYESAN AND SAIDU ALIYU MOHAMMED AS NEW HEADS OF PETROLEUM REGULATORS

Published By Jerry Adesewo On Dec 17, 2025

PRESIDENT TINUBU NOMINATES ORITSEMEYIWA EYESAN AND SAIDU ALIYU MOHAMMED AS NEW HEADS OF PETROLEUM REGULATORY BODIES

By Jerry Adesewo

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded to the Senate the nominations of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed for confirmation as chief executives of Nigeria’s two key petroleum regulatory bodies.

In a press release issued by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Media, the President has nominated Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), while Engineer Mohammed has been nominated as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The nominations follow recent leadership changes in both agencies and underscore the administration’s commitment to strengthening regulation and governance in the oil and gas sector under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan brings more than three decades of experience in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. A graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, she spent nearly 33 years with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024), having earlier served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy from 2019 to 2023. Her career has been defined by deep expertise in upstream operations, strategy development, and sector-wide planning.

Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe State, is a Chemical Engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (Class of 1981). He is a veteran energy executive with extensive experience across refining, gas, and power operations. Recently announced as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy, Engineer Mohammed has previously served as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company.

He has also chaired the boards of the West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail, and served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power Directorate. In that role, he provided strategic leadership for landmark initiatives such as the Gas Masterplan, the Gas Network Code, and key policy contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act.

Engineer Mohammed played critical roles in the delivery of major national gas infrastructure projects, including the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.

President Tinubu has requested the Senate to accord the nominations expedited consideration, in line with the importance of the agencies to Nigeria’s energy security, economic reform agenda, and investment climate.