The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is set to launch an investigation into allegations leveled against the former Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group.
Dangote had accused Ahmed of corruption during a press briefing on Sunday in Lagos, claiming that the ex-NMDPRA CEO spent approximately $5 million on the secondary education of his four children in Switzerland, an amount that exceeds his official income.
He added that Ahmed’s expenditures are difficult to reconcile with his earnings from public service. Dangote therefore called for scrutiny from tax authorities amid wider allegations of refinery sabotage, reiterating his claims before the ICPC on Tuesday.
The anti-corruption agency confirmed on Tuesday that it received a formal petition from Dangote, submitted through his lawyer, regarding the alleged $7 million spent by Ahmed on his children’s education in foreign institutions.
“The ICPC wishes to state that the petition will be duly investigated,” said the commission’s spokesman, John Odey.
The petition detailed that “Farouk Ahmed spent without evidence of lawful means of income a humongous amount of money of over 7 million dollars of public funds for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront.”
To support his allegations, Dangote provided the names of the children, the Swiss schools they attend, and the tuition amounts for each to the ICPC for verification.
“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 are gross acts of corrupt practices for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” Dangote stated.
According to Dangote, Ahmed has illicitly enriched himself with taxpayers’ money intended for public use, diverting it for personal purposes.
He argued, “Any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate of the public officer or any other public officer shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for five years without option of fine.”
The House of Representatives has also resolved to probe the NMDPRA CEO over the alleged payment of millions of dollars in tuition fees abroad and the indiscriminate issuance of importation licenses for petrol despite local availability.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Midala Usman, who noted that Section 88 (1) and (2) of the Constitution empowers the National Assembly to investigate the operations of any authority executing laws made by the legislature.
Usman further explained that Section 29 (3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 assigns NMDPRA responsibility for technical and commercial regulation of midstream and downstream petroleum operations.
He highlighted the ongoing dispute between NMDPRA and Dangote Refinery over alleged arbitrary issuance of importation licenses and other allegations of corruption against Ahmed.
“If the brewing dispute between the NMDPRA and Dangote Refinery is not nipped in the bud, it is likely to escalate and thus lead to fuel supply crisis during the Yuletide season and beyond,” Usman warned.
“The Dangote Refinery represents a strategic national investment poised to end Nigeria’s historical dependence on imported petrol, conserve foreign exchange, stabilise domestic supply, and moderate fuel pricing in the long term,” he added.
Usman stressed that unresolved regulatory disagreements between the statutory regulator and the country’s largest domestic refinery pose risks of supply disruption, pricing volatility, policy inconsistency, and reduced investor confidence in the petroleum sector.
He also lamented that the absence of a transparent and consistently applied petrol pricing framework allows arbitrary decisions and market distortions, adversely affecting consumers.
“Energy security, downstream stability, and consumer protection cannot be achieved where regulatory uncertainty and pricing opacity persist,” Usman said, emphasizing the need for legislative intervention to clarify regulations, harmonize pricing, and restore confidence in downstream petroleum governance.
The House has mandated its Committees on Petroleum Resources (Midstream) and (Downstream) to investigate the dispute and submit a report within four weeks for further legislative action.
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