The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Ahmed Farouk, accusing him of corruption and financial impropriety.
The petition, dated December 16 and submitted through Dangote’s lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), calls for the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of Farouk over allegations that he has lived far beyond his legitimate means as a public servant.
According to the petition, which was received by the office of the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu (SAN), Dangote specifically accused the NMDPRA boss of expending more than $7 million, without any lawful source of income on the education of his four children in Switzerland over a six-year period.
Dangote alleged that the funds were paid upfront to various Swiss schools, details of which were provided in the petition to aid verification by the anti-graft agency. He claimed that Farouk had worked exclusively in Nigeria’s public sector throughout his adult life and could not have legitimately earned such an amount.
The billionaire businessman further alleged that Farouk used the instrumentality of the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions he said had sparked recent protests and public outrage.
According to Dangote, the funds allegedly diverted from public coffers were used to finance the foreign education of Farouk’s teenage children.
‘Act decisively’
“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment, and embezzlement constitute gross acts of corruption,” Dangote stated, noting that the ICPC is empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute such offences.
He added that a conviction under the Act carries a penalty of five years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.
“We make bold to state that the ICPC is strategically positioned, alongside sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and corruption-related offences. Upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders,” the petition read.
Dangote urged the commission to thoroughly investigate the allegations against Farouk and prosecute him if found culpable, stressing that the matter is already in the public domain.
“We have no reservation that the Commission will not close its eyes to this matter but will act decisively to ensure justice is served and the good image of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is protected,” he said.
Dangote also pledged to provide documentary evidence to substantiate his allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment.
‘Nigerians deserve to know’
The Kano-born entrepreneur first raised the allegations during a press interview on Sunday, where he questioned Farouk’s source of wealth.
“I’ve had people complaining about a regulator who put his children in secondary school abroad, and that education, six years for four children cost Nigeria about five million dollars,” Dangote said at a press conference at the Dangote Refinery in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State.
“My children attended secondary school in Nigeria. They did not go abroad,” he added.
On Tuesday, Dangote published details of the allegations in a national newspaper and later the same day formally submitted his petition to the ICPC.
“Nigerians deserve to know the source of these sums of money paid by a public officer, while many parents in his home state of Sokoto cannot afford N10,000 in school fees for their children,” Dangote said.
He also accused the NMDPRA of frustrating efforts to boost local refining capacity, particularly through the continued issuance of fuel importation licences.
Reps intervene, NMDPRA silent
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has stepped into the dispute, summoning both Dangote and Farouk.
The Joint Committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) also directed both parties to refrain from further public statements, saying the intervention was aimed at preventing tensions that could destabilize the downstream petroleum sector.
“We can only find sustainable solutions when we identify the critical issues driving these allegations and counter-allegations,” said Ikenga Ugochinyere, a leader of the joint committees.
“That is why the committee resolved to invite Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the NMDPRA chief to appear before us and offer insights into what is fueling this dispute,” he added.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Ahmed nor the NMDPRA had issued any official response to the allegations.
Dangote’s petition against Ahmed
Below is a letter containing Dangote’s petition against NMDPRA boss:
