Alleged extravagant lifestyle: Farouk resigns, as Tinubu names replacement
The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ahmed Farouk, has resigned, as President Bola Tinubu writes Senate to consider Engr Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as replacement.
Penpushing reports that resignation of Farouk comes amid a high-profile conflict with Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, which drew national attention in December 2025, alleging Farouk of living extravagant lifestyle above his income
The Chairman of Dangote company had petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate and prosecute Farouk for abuse of office and corrupt enrichment, sparking a nationwide debate over regulatory oversight in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
Penpushing further reports that Farouk in response dismissed Dangote’s claims as wild and spurious, insisting that he would rather defend himself before a formal investigative body than engage in public arguments.
The conflict, which traces its roots to 2024 when Farouk criticized domestic refinery output—including Dangote’s refinery—prompted intervention by the House of Representatives, which summoned both parties to avoid destabilising the sector.
Penpushing also reports that in similar development Farouk’s counterpart at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, has stepped down, while the President has equally sought for replacement
The President’s request was contained in separate letters to the Senate on Wednesday made known to journalists by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Penpushing reports that both officials were appointed in 2021 by late former President Muhammadu Buhari after the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act.
‘President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA’, Onanuga said
Penpushing further reports that the statement added that Eyesan, an economist and oil industry veteran, spent nearly 33 years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its subsidiaries and retired in 2024 as Executive Vice President, Upstream, and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy.
The statement on Mohammed, a chemical engineer and former Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and the Nigerian Gas Company, has equally served on several energy sector boards, who recently emerged as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
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