Category: Energy

BREAKING: Tinubu nominates 21 members for NMDPRA, NUPRC Boards

Emporium Reporters

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written two separate letters to the Senate, seeking confirmation of 21 nominees to serve on the boards of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). The disclosure was made on Monday by the President’s Senior Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga. In the first letter, President Tinubu nominated Senator Magnus Abe as Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission board. Abe, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District for two terms, previously…

Tinubu nominates successors following resignations of NMDPRA,NUPRC CEOs

Lukman Laleye Babalola

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally requested the Senate’s approval for new chief executives to lead Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory bodies, following the resignations of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Gbenga Komolafe of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).   Both officials were originally appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to helm the agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).   President Tinubu has proposed Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu…

JUST IN: Farouk Ahmed quits as NMDPRA CEO

Emporium Reporters

Farouk Ahmed has resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) following a high-level meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.   President Tinubu had on Wednesday summoned Ahmed amid grave allegations of economic sabotage and corruption, raising fresh concerns over regulatory integrity in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.   The controversy was triggered by claims from the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, who accused Ahmed and the leadership of the NMDPRA of involvement in multimillion-dollar corruption and actions…

Customs, NMDPRA intensify joint action against fuel diversion, endorse new export point guidelines

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA have strengthened their collaboration to combat the diversion of petroleum products meant for domestic consumption and to protect Nigeria’s energy security. This renewed partnership came to the fore during a meeting between the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, and the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure of the NMDPRA, Mr. Ogbugo Ukoha, held on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, at the Customs House, Maitama, Abuja.   During the engagement, CGC Adeniyi reaffirmed the…

NDARPN dismisses House Committee’s ₦1 Trillion claim, affirms PIA implementation is on track

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Niger Delta Accountability and Resource Protection Network (NDARPN) has challenged recent claims by the House of Representatives Committee on the South South Development Commission that Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) funds have left the region shortchanged by over ₦1 trillion.   In a statement on Friday, NDARPN President Comrade Ebikabo West described the committee’s assertions as “sensational, misleading and potentially damaging to the investment stabilisation the PIA has steadily cultivated.”   West stressed that the implementation of the PIA by relevant regulatory bodies, particularly regarding host community development funds…

Diaspora Group applauds NUPRC Boss Komolafe’s Global Leadership Award ….. Says his reforms and integrity are redefining Nigeria’s global energy image

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Nigerians in Diaspora Assembly (NiDA) in London has commended Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), following his recent dual honours a professional doctorate in Leadership (Energy Law) from the International Business School of Scandinavia and the Global Sustainable Leadership Award at the Global Sustainable Education and Leadership (G-SEL) Conference 2025, held at the House of Lords, UK Parliament.   In a statement on Saturday, NiDA London President, Dr. Sani Abubakar, and Secretary, Mrs. Chioma Okorafor, praised Komolafe for elevating Nigeria’s profile on…

Energy Activists reject proposed Oil Decommissioning Commission … Accuse Lawmakers of plot to undermine Petroleum Industry Act, waste public funds

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Hundreds of protesters under the banner of the Energy Reforms Advocates of Nigeria (ERAN) on Saturday stormed the streets of Abuja, kicking against the proposed National Commission for the Decommissioning of Oil and Gas Installations (NC-DOGI). The group described the bill as a “money-guzzling contraption” and “a dagger aimed at the heart of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA),” warned lawmakers to shelve it immediately in the national interest.   Addressing a press conference, Comrade Abba Henry, Executive Director of ERAN, said the new commission was needless and wasteful since the…

CSOs applaud Tinubu over 15% fuel import tariff … Say policy will end dumping of substandard products, fuel scarcity

Lukman Laleye Babalola

A coalition of civil society organisations under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Rights Activists has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving a 15 percent import duty on refined petroleum products, described the move as a bold and strategic step toward achieving energy self-sufficiency and protecting Nigeria’s domestic refineries. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the Convener, Mr. Agabi Emmanuel, said the decision was not a revenue drive but a deliberate policy to end the dumping of fake and substandard fuels in the country.   “This 15%…

NUPRC@ 4: Niger Delta group hails Komolafe’s reforms, says host Communities now feel the impact

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Niger Delta Citizens Alliance (NDCA) has commended the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for its transformative impact on host communities in the oil-producing region, as the Commission mark its fourth anniversary.   In a statement issued Tuesday in Port Harcourt by its President, Kingsley Charles, and Secretary-General, Ogbobetta Nelli, the group praised the leadership of Engr. Gbenga Komolafe for translating the promises of resource justice into tangible development through the transparent implementation of the Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs).   “For decades, oil-producing communities were left with promises…

Retired oil workers hail NUPRC’s reforms, rising output under Komolafe

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Forum of Retired Oil Workers has commended the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for its far-reaching reforms, transparency initiatives, and renewed investor confidence under the leadership of its Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe.   In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the forum’s president, Richard Jackson, the group described Komolafe’s leadership as “visionary, reform-driven, and aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to reposition Nigeria’s oil and gas sector for sustainable growth and global competitiveness.”   The forum said the series of policy and operational reforms introduced…