President Bola Tinubu is reported to have approached the removal of Farouk Ahmed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) with considerable caution, in a bid to avoid alienating his northern political support base.
Unlike the process that led to the exit of Gbenga Komalafe as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Ahmed’s departure was said to have been handled more delicately.
After both Ahmed and Komalafe left office, the Nigerian Senate confirmed Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the new NMDPRA CEO and Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the new NUPRC CEO. Their appointments followed screenings and endorsements by the Senate Joint Committees on Petroleum (Upstream, Downstream and Gas).
Sources who spoke with Sahara Reporters claimed that Ahmed, described as a scion of the Sokoto Caliphate, was treated with particular sensitivity to prevent any political backlash in the North.
According to one source, President Tinubu did not personally ask Ahmed to step down but instead sent an aide, identified as Muri, to convey the request for his resignation, a move said to be borne out of respect for Ahmed’s background and influence.
By contrast, Komalafe’s removal was reportedly driven by considerations of ethnic balancing within the petroleum regulatory structure. One of the sources alleged that while Ahmed was asked to resign, Komalafe was removed as part of a broader effort to address ethnic representation. The source further claimed that Tinubu had at one point urged Komalafe to stand firm against businessman Aliko Dangote, whom he allegedly described as manipulative.
Ahmed had previously been accused of corruption by Aliko Dangote, the president of Dangote Group and owner of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.