Fresh details have emerged over the resignation of the immediate-past Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, following allegations of large-scale corruption and revenue concealment.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last week accepted the resignations of Komolafe and Engr. Farouk Ahmed, former head of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). Recall that both men were appointed in 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari after the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act, (PIA).
While Farouk Ahmed has faced public corruption allegations from businessman Aliko Ɗangote, sources said Komolafe had been under presidential scrutiny over multiple petitions alleging fraud running into billions of dollars. The sources claimed Komolafe was effectively removed but allowed to resign quietly.
A coalition, the Nigerian People Against Corruption Coalition (NIPACC), said its petition to the Presidency triggered Komolafe’s exit. In an open letter to the new NUPRC chief executive, Mrs. Oristemeyiwa Eyesan, the group urged an immediate probe of Komolafe’s tenure to avoid inheriting what it described as “institutional rot”.
NIPACC alleged that under Komolafe, the NUPRC concealed producing oil and gas assets, manipulated licences and leases, and misclassified key fields, denying Nigeria more than $20 billion in revenues from crude sales, gas monetisation, royalties and taxes. The group cited disputed handling of OPL 227 and reductions in several oil mining leases, which it said left hundreds of square kilometres of petroleum acreage unaccounted for.
The coalition also alleged that Komolafe operated 33 bank accounts linked to his BVN, many of which were not declared in his asset filings, in violation of the Code of Conduct. It further accused the NUPRC of underreporting oil production linked to Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company, (SEEPCO), leading to massive revenue leakages.
Commending President Tinubu for acting on the petitions, NIPACC said the decision showed that no official is above the law. The group offered to work with the new NUPRC leadership and urged Mrs. Eyesan to collaborate with civil society organisations (CSOs) to strengthen transparency, restore public trust and prevent future abuses.
