Africa’s richest man and Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of alleged corruption and abuse of office.
Dangote, in a formal petition submitted to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), claimed that the NMDPRA boss paid millions of dollars in advance school fees for his children to attend schools abroad, expenditures he described as incompatible with the legitimate earnings of a public official.
According to the petition, Ahmed allegedly paid between $5 million and $7 million over several years for the education of his four children in Switzerland, a development Dangote said raises serious questions about the source of the funds.
Dangote urged anti-graft agencies to thoroughly investigate the financial records of the NMDPRA chief, insisting that if the allegations are proven, appropriate legal action should follow.
The businessman also linked the allegations to what he described as systemic regulatory challenges in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, accusing the authority of actions that undermine local refining efforts and distort market competition.
The allegations have sparked reactions from civil society organisations and political figures, with some calling on President Bola Tinubu to suspend the NMDPRA boss pending investigation, while others have urged anti-corruption agencies to act swiftly to preserve public confidence.
As of the time of filing this report, the NMDPRA and its chief executive have yet to issue an official response to the allegations.
