Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm two new heads for the country’s oil and gas regulators.
The nominations follow the sudden resignations of senior officials, triggering uncertainty across Nigeria’s strategically vital energy sector.
Gbenga Komolafe and Farouk Ahmed stepped down from their posts overseeing upstream and downstream petroleum regulation, respectively.
Their exits come amid an escalating dispute involving billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote and fuel import policies affecting local refining.
Dangote accused Ahmed of permitting cheap fuel imports that undermine domestic refineries, including his massive Lagos-based refinery.
The 650,000-barrel-per-day plant, Africa’s largest, symbolises Nigeria’s ambition to refine its own oil and curb imports.
The regulatory shake-up arrives at a sensitive moment for Africa’s leading oil producer, already grappling with supply anxieties.
Dangote also filed a formal petition alleging governance failures and personal spending by Ahmed beyond his declared income.
The unfolding confrontation has exposed deep tensions between state regulators and private capital shaping Nigeria’s energy future.