By Charles Pemu 
President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has publicly accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of corruption and living beyond his legitimate means, citing alleged exorbitant foreign school fees for his children.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Sunday, the billionaire businessman alleged that Ahmed spent approximately $5 million on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland over a period of six years.
Dangote explicitly questioned the source of the funds, stating that such expenditure is grossly inconsistent with the income of a career public servant.
The Allegation in Detail:
“I don’t know why the authority chief executive, Mallam Farouk, has four of his children that he educated in Switzerland at the cost of $5 million for their secondary school education alone, not university.
“When you look at his income, his income does not match paying this kind of fees. And even if it’s me paying $5m for six years for my four children, the taxman has to look at my taxes and how much I pay.”
The industrialist stressed that the issue is not merely personal but a matter of public accountability and potential economic sabotage within the oil sector. He questioned the integrity of the regulatory oversight when a top public official allegedly displays such a stark mismatch between earnings and expenditure.
Dangote called on relevant government agencies, including the Code of Conduct Bureau, to launch a full investigation into Ahmed’s finances.
He further threatened to take legal steps against the Swiss schools to compel them to disclose the exact payments if the NMDPRA CEO denies the allegations.
“I am not calling for his removal, but for a proper investigation. He should be required to account for his actions and demonstrate that he has not compromised his various positions in government at the cost of Nigerians,” Dangote stated.
This accusation adds to the prolonged tension between the Dangote Group and the NMDPRA, which the businessman also accused of colluding with international traders to frustrate local refining through the continued issuance of import licenses for petroleum products.
Note: The NMDPRA had previously dismissed similar allegations made against its CEO in July 2025, describing them as an “orchestrated smear campaign.”