Fresh details have
emerged on how Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, former Chief Executive of the Nigerian
Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), resigned from office.
BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had last week Wednesday December 17 accepted the resignation of Komolafe alongside Engineer Farouk Ahmed, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
While Farouk Ahmed was already facing corruption allegations slammed on him by the African richest man and Nigerian billionaire tycoon, Alike Dangote, Komolafe has been under the radar of the presidency over series of alleged frauds running into billions of naira.
Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Dependable sources revealed that a series of petitions detailing allegations of multiple fraud perpetrated under Komolafe’s watch, some directly linked to him, was the actual reason he was sacked.
The source disclosed that Komolafe was sacked but was given a soft landing to resign as NUPRC boss by a cabal which has protected him in the presidency.
Following this a group, Nigerian People Against Corruption Coalition (NIPACC) in an open letter to the new NUPRC boss, Mrs. Oristemeyiwa Eyesan, cautioned her to ensure she clean up the Augean stables of the rot left behind by her predecessor by ensuring a thorough investigation into the activities of her predecessor, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, over allegations of corruption, asset manipulation, and revenue concealment so as not to robe herself with the ruminant of the mess.
According to NIPACC, Engr. Komolafe’s tenure was marked by alleged several questionable transactions, including the concealment of lucrative oil and gas assets, fraudulent manipulation of Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 227, and the illegal reduction of OMLs 33, 46, and 74.
NIPACC, a coalition of Civil Society and Pressure groups including; Integrity and Economic Probity For Transparency Initiative (INTERCEPT), Association of Media Practitioners in Oil and Gas Producing Areas (AMEPROGAS), Arewa Youth Alliance for Progress and Development (AYAPD), Niger Delta Development Agenda (NDDA), and Niger Delta Liberators and Ex-Agitators Forum (NIDLEF), claimed that their petition to the presidency led to supposed sack or resignation of the former NUPRC boss.
“Our petition painstakingly exposed disturbing patterns of corruption, asset manipulation, regulatory abuse, and revenue concealment within the NUPRC under the leadership of Engr. Gbenga Komolafe.
“We wish to commend the Presidency for listening to our prayers for the sack and probe of Engr Gbenga Komolafe”.
Giving a graphic details of systemic subversion of strategic oil assets in NUPRC under Komolafe’s watch, NIPACC in a worded letter signed by Iteveh Nur’deen, Convener and Chairman and C.N ONYISHI, Eqs., Secretary, said that the most troubling exposure presented by NIPACC before security agencies and the presidency, was the deliberate subversion and concealment of lucrative producing oil and gas assets, particularly OMLs 119, 129, 113, and 31, as well as OPLs 2005 and 2006.
“These assets, which are known to be producing crude oil and gas, were officially misrepresented by the NUPRC under Engr. Komolafe as non-existent or non-producing, based on reasons that were neither technically sound nor economically defensible.
“By this singular act of concealment and misclassification, the Nigerian State was denied estimated revenues in excess of US$20 billion, encompassing crude oil sales, gas monetization, royalties, taxes, and other statutory payments. This was not a mere regulatory oversight; it was a calculated distortion of facts that fundamentally compromised the Federation’s revenue base and violated the trust reposed in the NUPRC as a custodian of national petroleum assets.
Your Excellency, another grave issue uncovered relates to Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 227, which officially covers an area of 974 square kilometres. Records and official correspondence authored under Engr. Komolafe repeatedly claimed that OPL 227 had been converted to Oil Mining Lease (OML) 146, allegedly covering a drastically reduced area of 29.95 square kilometres.
“This claim, by all objective standards, constitutes a clear case of fraud and misrepresentation. OPL 227 and OML 146 are governed by two distinct agreements, yet they were improperly conflated to justify the unexplained disappearance of 944.05 square kilometres of petroleum-bearing acreage.
“The fundamental question remains unanswered: How did 974 square kilometres legitimately shrink to 29.95 square kilometres? No lawful conversion process under Nigerian petroleum laws supports such a drastic reduction. This anomaly strongly suggests that the balance of the acreage was illegally disposed of or allocated, with proceeds accruing to unauthorized private interests rather than to the Federation.
“When this fraud was formally highlighted to Engr. Komolafe investigations revealed a hasty and suspicious attempt to alter records by changing OPL 227 to OPL 277, an action that further reinforced concerns of deliberate document manipulation aimed at concealing wrongdoing.
“Similar manipulative practices were identified in relation to OMLs 33, 46, and 74, which originally covered a combined area of 2,740 square kilometres.
“Under the tenure of Engr. Komolafe, these leases were unlawfully reduced to 2,493.62 square kilometres, leaving 246.38 square kilometres concealed and unaccounted for.Independent assessments indicate that this concealed acreage alone could have been sold for over US$5 billion, while associated crude oil and gas production from the area could have generated revenues estimated in excess of US$10 billion for the Federation.
“Instead, these enormous resources were diverted from public benefit, undermining national development and exacerbating Nigeria’s economic vulnerabilities.Illicit Operations of Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO).
“The actions of NIPACC is an exercise of civic responsibility and patriotic vigilance. At significant personal and institutional risk, the organization demonstrated courage and commitment by bringing to light entrenched malpractices that undermined national interest, weakened public trust in regulatory institutions, and deprived the Federation of monumental revenues at a time when Nigeria faced severe fiscal constraints”.
“The several manipulations of the NUPRC under Komolafe directly facilitated the emergence and operation of Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO)as an illicit beneficiary of Nigeria’s petroleum resources. Investigations revealed that SEEPCO has been drilling and producing crude oil and gas from over 48 oil wells while the NUPRC officially reported only about eight oil wells to the Federation.
“This deliberate underreporting resulted in massive revenue leakages and falsified national production data. Even more alarming were findings that SEEPCO operates over 5,000 bank accounts across various Nigerian banks, allegedly to facilitate the laundering of proceeds from illegitimate oil and gas operations. Such a scale of financial opacity could not have thrived without regulatory complicity or willful negligence”.
The coalition also alleged that Komolafe owned and operated 33 bank accounts, many of which were linked to his Bank Verification Number (BVN), and failed to declare these assets in his Code of Conduct forms.
“Further investigations uncovered deeply troubling details regarding the personal financial activities of Engr. Gbenga Komolafe. Evidence revealed that he owns, controls, or operates thirty-three (33) bank accounts, comprising 15 private accounts and 18 corporate accounts, many of which have his Bank Verification Number (BVN)directly linked to them.
“These accounts, 24 are current accounts, eight are savings accounts, and one remains of unknown classification. While four accounts are closed, eight are dormant, and four are marked Post-No-Debit (PND), an alarming 17 accounts remain actively operational.
“Certified True Copies
obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) show that Engr. Komolafe
is neither a director nor a shareholder in several of the companies whose bank
accounts are linked to his BVN. Despite this, his BVN appears in their banking
documentation, effectively making him a signatory and beneficiary of these
accounts. Even more concerning is the revelation that neither these corporate
interests nor the private accounts were declared in his Code of Conduct forms,
in clear violation of constitutional and statutory requirements.
NIPACC claims that these actions resulted in the loss of over $200 billion in revenue and called on the presidency to act decisively to prevent further corruption.
They, however, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for taking the bold step to clean up the system, saying “We commend the President’s decision to act decisively, rather than ignore or trivialize these petitions. This underscores his leadership philosophy—that no individual, regardless of position, is above the law, and that national interest must always supersede personal or sectional considerations”.
The coalition has offered to work with the new NUPRC leadership to enhance transparency and prevent future irregularities and congratulated her on her new job role.
“We write with profound respect, a deep sense of patriotism, and unwavering confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s avowed commitment to transparency, accountability, and institutional reform, and to formally appreciate and commend Your Excellency for the recent appointment of Mrs. Oristemeyiwa Eyesan as the new Commission Chief Executive (CCE) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“This appointment has been widely received across the oil and gas industry, civil society space, and among stakeholders in the Nigerian economy as a timely, strategic, and courageous decision. It reflects not Tinubu’s administration’s resolve to sanitize critical national institutions, but also your recognition of competence, integrity, professionalism, and inclusive leadership—qualities urgently required to reposition the upstream petroleum sector as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic recovery and sustainable development.
The coalition, however, urged Eyesan-led NUPRC leadership to institutionalize structured cooperation with NIPACC and other credible civil society organizations (CSOs), maintaining that such collaboration will enhance transparency, improve early detection of irregularities, and foster public confidence in the Commission’s operations.
“Mrs Eyesan cannot afford to build on corruption, hence her first action in office is to sanitize the rot of the erstwhile administration. Proactive engagement with CSOs will also help prevent the escalation of grievances into civil demonstrations, legal confrontations, or other disruptive actions, thereby preserving industrial harmony and national stability.
“We reiterate our warm congratulations to Ms. Eyesan on her well-deserved appointment. Her distinguished history of hard work, technical competence, and personal integrity in the oil and gas sector stands as a testament to her suitability for this critical role.
“”Her deep understanding of the industry, combined with her reputation for professionalism and ethical conduct, positions her to revitalize the NUPRC, rebuild institutional credibility, and align regulatory practices with global best standards. Furthermore, her roots in the oil-producing Niger Delta region provide her with unique insight into the socio-economic realities of host communities, enhancing her capacity to balance national revenue objectives with equity, sustainability, and peace in the region”
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