*Names Ex-Dangote Cement Executive As Replacement
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has sacked the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Saidu Mohammed, just four months after he took over from Farouk Ahmed in December last year.
Mohammed’s sack came while he was on an official engagement, leading NMDPRA delegates to the Pipeline Technology Conference taking place in Berlin, Germany, from April 27 to 30.
A statement on Wednesday, April 29, by the Sspecial Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu also nominated Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, a former employee of Dangote Cement Plc as the authority’s new chief executive, subject to confirmation by the senate.
Onanuga said the change, made in pursuant to the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, was to strengthen regulatory effectiveness in the midstream and downstream petroleum sector.
The statement noted: “Pending senate confirmation of the new nominee, the most senior official of the NMDPRA will oversee operations in an acting capacity.”
Umar held at least two roles at Dangote Cement Plc and Dangote Industries Limited as Group Sales and Marketing Director and Group Chief Commercial Officer, respectively.
