Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has escalated his ongoing bitter feud with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, by releasing a signed statement and infographic accusing the agency’s Chief Executive, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, of spending over $5 million on secondary education alone for his four children at prestigious Swiss boarding schools.
The statement, boldly declaring “FACTS DON’T LIE!” and signed personally by Dangote, lists the children’s names and schools: Faisal Farouk at Montreux School (6 years), Farouk Jr. at Aiglon College (6 years), Ashraf Farouk at Institut Le Rosey (6 years), and Farhana Farouk at La Garenne International School (6 years).
Dangote estimates annual costs per child at $200,000 for tuition, air tickets, and upkeep, totaling $800,000 yearly for four children. Over six years, living expenses and tickets reach $4,800,000 per child, with approximate total tuition and upkeep hitting $5,000,000.
Additional claims include $2,000,000 for tertiary education across four years and $210,000 spent in 2025 on Faisal Farouk’s Harvard MBA ($150,000 tuition plus $60,000 for upkeep and incidentals).
“Nigerians deserve to know the source(s) of these sums of money paid by a public officer while many parents in his home state of Sokoto cannot afford to pay N10,000 school fees for their children and wards,” the statement reads.
This marks a revival and intensification of allegations first raised by civil society groups in July 2025, which NMDPRA dismissed as a “smear campaign.”
The dispute traces back to 2024, when Ahmed claimed Dangote Refinery’s diesel had high sulphur content inferior to imports, prompting a House of Representatives investigation and calls for Ahmed’s suspension.
Tensions have persisted over NMDPRA’s issuance of fuel import licenses despite the refinery’s output, which Dangote has repeatedly called “economic sabotage.”
In earlier remarks during a December 14 press briefing at the refinery, Dangote stated, “If he denies it, I will not only publish what he paid as tuition in those secondary schools, but I will also take legal steps to compel the schools to disclose the payments made by Farouk.”
He contrasted the alleged spending with his own choice to educate his children in Nigerian secondary schools.
As of December 16, Engr. Farouk Ahmed and NMDPRA have not issued a response to the detailed claims.
The House of Representatives has summoned both parties, urging them to cease public attacks pending hearings to resolve the regulatory standoff amid falling petrol prices from the Dangote Refinery.
