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By Oscar Okhifo
Billionaire industrialist, Aliko Dangote, has formally petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of corruption, financial impropriety, and abuse of office, including allegedly spending over $5 million of public funds on his children’s education abroad.
On Tuesday, December 16, Dangote’s lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), submitted a petition urging the ICPC to immediately probe and prosecute the NMDPRA Boss over alleged corruption and financial impropriety.
According to the petition acknowledged by the office of the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu (SAN), Dangote alleged that Ahmed spent more than $7 million on the education of his four children in Switzerland over a six-year period, without any verifiable source of lawful income to justify such expenditure.
Dangote stated that the payments were allegedly made upfront and covered tuition and related expenses at different schools in Switzerland.
The petition reportedly listed the names of the children, the institutions they attended, and the amounts paid for each, urging the anti-graft agency to independently verify the claims.
The industrialist further accused Ahmed of using the instrumentality of the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and the pursuit of private interests, actions he said had triggered public outrage and protests by various groups in recent times.
Dangote argued that Ahmed had spent his entire adult working life in Nigeria’s public sector and that his cumulative legitimate earnings could not reasonably amount to the over $7 million allegedly expended on his children’s foreign education.
He claimed that the funds were diverted from public coffers to finance the education of Ahmed’s teenage children abroad, at a time many Nigerians struggle to afford basic school fees.
In the petition, Dangote urged the ICPC to act decisively, citing alleged abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment, and embezzlement.
He stated that such actions constitute gross corrupt practices under Section 19 of the ICPC Act, which empowers the Commission to investigate and prosecute offenders. Dangote noted that conviction under the Act attracts a jail term of up to five years without an option of fine.
He expressed confidence in the ICPC’s capacity, working alongside sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and called on the Commission to ensure justice is served in order to protect the image of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Dangote also pledged to make himself available to provide evidence in support of his allegations against the NMDPRA chief.
Despite the allegations, neither Ahmed nor the NMDPRA has issued an official response.
Dangote first made the allegations publicly during a press briefing on Sunday at the Dangote Refinery in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, where he questioned Ahmed’s source of wealth.
He claimed that the cost of secondary education for Ahmed’s four children abroad amounted to millions of dollars, contrasting it with his own decision to educate his children in Nigeria.
On Tuesday, the billionaire businessman published details of the allegations in a national daily before formally submitting the petition to the ICPC.
He said Nigerians deserve to know how a public officer could afford such expenses while many parents in Ahmed’s home state of Sokoto struggle to pay modest school fees.
Dangote also accused the NMDPRA of frustrating efforts to boost local refining, particularly through the continued issuance of import licences.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has stepped into the dispute, summoning both Dangote and Ahmed.
The Joint Committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) also directed both parties to refrain from further public comments, noting that the escalating tension could destabilise the downstream petroleum sector.
One of the committee leaders, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said the lawmakers aim to identify the root causes of the allegations and counter-allegations in order to find sustainable solutions.
The dispute between Dangote and the NMDPRA dates back to the commencement of operations at the Dangote Refinery last year.
In July, Ahmed alleged that products from local refiners, including Dangote Refinery, were of inferior quality compared to imported products. He also accused Dangote of attempting to monopolize Nigeria’s energy market, claims the refiner strongly denied.
The House of Representatives later probed the matter and called for Ahmed’s suspension.
In August 2024, the NMDPRA maintained that the Dangote Refinery was still in its pre-commissioning phase and had not been issued an operational licence.
The long-standing dispute between Dangote and the NMDPRA, which began with the refinery’s commissioning last year, continues to escalate.
While Ahmed has accused Dangote of seeking to monopolize Nigeria’s energy market, the industrialist insists on transparency and accountability.
The House of Representatives has since probed the matter, calling for answers from both sides, but the standoff underscores lingering tensions between regulators and private sector players in the country’s downstream petroleum sector.Tge days and weeks ahead will sure reveal a lot to Nigerians and the world.