President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has accused the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of corruption, alleging that the regulator spent about $5m on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland.
Dangote made the allegation on Sunday during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, where he called for a full investigation and a public explanation from Ahmed, insisting that the matter had implications for public trust and investor confidence.
According to him, Ahmed should be made to appear before relevant authorities, including the Code of Conduct Tribunal, to explain the source of the funds allegedly used for the school fees.
“I’ve had people complaining about a regulator who put his four children in secondary schools abroad,” Dangote said.
“That education, which lasted six years, allegedly cost about $5m. You cannot imagine someone paying that amount for secondary school education.”
He argued that the alleged expenditure did not align with the income of a public servant and would ordinarily attract scrutiny from tax authorities.
“When you look at his income, it does not match paying this kind of fee,” Dangote said. “Even if it were me paying $5m for my children’s education, the taxman would want to know how I earned the money and how much tax I paid.”
Dangote also contrasted the allegation with the economic hardship facing many Nigerians, particularly in northern parts of the country.
“People are struggling to pay N100,000 as school fees. Many children are out of school because of that amount,” he said.
“I find it difficult to understand how a lifelong public servant could allegedly spend $5m on four children’s secondary school education.”
The billionaire businessman clarified that he was not demanding Ahmed’s removal but was calling for transparency and accountability.
“I am not calling for his removal. I am calling for a proper investigation,” he said. “
He should be required to account for his actions and prove that he has not compromised his office. What is happening amounts to economic sabotage.”
Dangote further stated that if the allegation was denied, he was prepared to publish documents related to the alleged payments and take legal steps to compel the schools involved to confirm the fees paid.
“If he denies it, I will publish what was paid as tuition, and I will also take legal action to compel the schools to disclose the payments made,” he added.
Beyond the allegation, Dangote criticised what he described as deep-rooted problems in the downstream petroleum sector, accusing vested interests of frustrating local refining through excessive fuel imports.
“There are powerful interests in the oil sector,” he said.
“It is unethical that African countries continue to import refined products when we should be refining locally. The volume of imports allowed into Nigeria does a disservice to the country.”
He warned against conflicts of interest in the sector, stressing the need for a clear separation between regulatory roles and commercial activities.
“A trader should never be a regulator,” Dangote said. “Licences have been issued, yet no new refineries are being built because the environment is not conducive.”
Reacting to the allegation, the spokesperson of the NMDPRA, George Ene-Ita, declined to comment, saying, “For now, no comment.”
