Saidu Aliyu: What to know about newly nominated NMDPRA CEO

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) following the resignation of the agency’s former head, Engineer Farouk Ahmed.

Tribune Online reports that the nomination comes after Engineer Farouk Ahmed stepped down as CEO of the NMDPRA, as part of a broader leadership change across Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory agencies.

To fill the vacancies, Tribune Online reports that Tinubu has written to the Senate, seeking expedited confirmation of Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the new CEO of NMDPRA and Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as the new CEO of NUPRC.

Born in Gombe

Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed was born in 1957 in Gombe State.

Education Background 

He attended the North-East College of Arts and Science (NECAS) in Maiduguri and Government Secondary School in Gombe. Saidu earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1981.

Leadership roles 

The new NMDPRA boss was recently appointed an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.

He has held leadership roles across Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, including serving as Managing Director of 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.

Saidu Aliyu previously served as Group Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, where he was involved in shaping key gas policies and frameworks, including the Gas Master Plan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Projects worked on

He also worked on major infrastructure projects, including the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train projects.

If confirmed by the Senate, Saidu Aliyu will assume leadership of the NMDPRA during a period of ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s petroleum sector under the Petroleum Industry Act.