President Tinubu sacks NMDPRA CEO Saidu Mohammed after four-month tenure amid crippling aviation fuel crisis

President Tinubu removes NMDPRA Chief Saidu Mohammed after 4 months amid an aviation fuel crisis, nominating energy veteran Rabiu Umar as his replacement.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 30, 2026, 11:23 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from LEADERSHIP Media Group.

Abrupt Leadership Change at the Regulatory Helm

In a decisive move to stabilize the energy sector, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has terminated the appointment of Saidu Mohammed, the Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, just four months after he assumed office. The decision, announced on April 30, comes at a critical juncture for Nigeria's downstream industry, which has been reeling from regulatory inconsistencies and supply bottlenecks. Mohammed had taken the reins in December 2025 following the controversial exit of Farouk Ahmed, but his brief tenure failed to quell the mounting friction between the regulator and major industry stakeholders.

Aviation Fuel Scarcity and Economic Strain

The primary catalyst for the leadership shuffle appears to be the worsening Jet A-1 (aviation fuel) crisis. Global supply chains have been fractured by escalating Middle East tensions involving Iran and Israel, which have spiked crude prices and restricted refined product availability in Nigeria. Domestically, the cost of fueling aircraft has ballooned; for instance, the price of fueling a standard commercial flight jumped from N2.1 million in January to approximately N7.6 million by late April. While the NMDPRA recently attempted to intervene by pegging maximum price bands—N2,037 per litre in Abuja and up to N1,988 in Lagos—critics argue the move was "too little, too late" to prevent significant flight groundings.

Nomination of Rabiu Abdullahi Umar

To fill the leadership vacuum, President Tinubu has nominated Rabiu Abdullahi Umar as the new substantive Chief Executive. Umar is a highly regarded professional with over 25 years of experience across the energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors. An alumnus of Bayero University and Harvard Business School, Umar is expected to bring a more strategic, data-driven approach to the agency. His immediate mandate will involve overseeing the integration of local refineries, such as the Dangote Refinery, into the national supply chain and restoring investor confidence in the regulatory framework.