Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, has called for a full investigation into allegations that Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), spent roughly $5 million on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland. Dangote described the alleged expenditure as suspicious, urging Ahmed to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal to provide a clear account.
Dangote noted that such spending, if true, would be difficult to reconcile with earnings from public service and could amount to economic sabotage. “I’ve had people complain about a regulator whose four children’s six-year secondary education cost Nigeria $5 million. That is not consistent with public earnings,” he said during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos.
Highlighting the contrast with ordinary Nigerians, Dangote added, “In Sokoto, where he is from, families struggle to pay N100,000 for school fees. Children are kept out of school, yet this official allegedly spends $5 million abroad. Even my own children went to Nigerian secondary schools, not overseas.”
Dangote clarified he was not calling for Ahmed’s removal but insisted on a proper investigation. He warned that if the allegations were denied, he would take legal action to compel the schools to disclose payments made by Ahmed, underlining that accountability is crucial.
Beyond the school fee allegations, Dangote criticised the downstream petroleum sector, describing it as being controlled by entrenched interests profiting from fuel imports at the expense of national development. He stressed the need for a clear separation between regulatory oversight and commercial interests, arguing that traders should not influence regulation.
“The downstream sector must not be destroyed by personal interests. Forty-seven licences have been issued, yet no new refineries are being built because the environment is not conducive,” Dangote said. He reiterated that Nigerians would ultimately benefit from local refining, noting his company’s efforts to ensure retail fuel prices reflect recent reductions at the gantry level.
The NMDPRA has previously dismissed similar allegations, calling them false and politically motivated. When reached for comment on Dangote’s renewed claims, the authority’s spokesman, George Ene-Ita, said, “For now, no comment.”
This dispute has intensified scrutiny on the sector and raised questions about transparency, regulatory oversight, and the alignment of public service earnings with personal expenditures.
