Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), is currently facing intense public scrutiny following allegations of corruption leveled against him by Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group. During a recent media briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, the billionaire businessman alleged that Ahmed spent approximately $5 million to educate his four children at secondary schools in Switzerland. This accusation has ignited a heated debate regarding public trust, accountability, and the financial integrity of high-ranking government officials
Profile: Who is Farouk Ahmed?
Born in July 1957, Farouk Ahmed is a seasoned technocrat with a background spanning the technology and oil and gas industries. He holds a degree in Engineering Technology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, USA. His career began in the United States as a logic board verification engineer at Apple Computer Inc. in Dallas, Texas, before he transitioned into the Nigerian petroleum sector.
Over the decades, Ahmed has held several critical executive positions, including Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority (PPPRA), Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), and Special Adviser on Downstream matters to the GMD of the NNPC. Additionally, he served as Managing Director of NiDAS Marine Limited and as a senior crude oil trader for Duke Oil Inc.
Professionally, he is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the US, and is registered with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Ahmed was appointed as the pioneer CEO of the NMDPRA by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021. Upon assuming office in May 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu retained him, making him one of the few agency heads to survive the transition. In July 2025, during Ahmed’s birthday, the Presidency, through Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, commended him as a “steady hand” who has been instrumental in stabilizing the downstream sector, eliminating fuel queues, and driving the “Renewed Hope Agenda” toward a transparent and competitive energy market.
The Allegations and Controversy
The controversy centers on Aliko Dangote’s claim that a career public servant could not legitimately afford the exorbitant cost of Swiss education for four children. “You cannot imagine somebody paying $5 million just to educate four children in secondary school,” Dangote stated. He challenged Ahmed to deny the claims, threatening to force the schools to disclose the payment records if necessary. Dangote contrasted this with his own lifestyle, noting, “Even my own children didn’t go to those schools. My children went to a Nigerian secondary school.”
Dangote emphasized the disparity between such spending and the reality of the average Nigerian, specifically referencing Ahmed’s home state. “From Sokoto, where he comes from, people are struggling to pay N100,000 for school fees… I cannot understand why somebody who has worked all his life in government would have four children whose school fees amount to $5 million.”
The business mogul clarified that his outburst was not a personal attack but a demand for accountability, describing the situation as “economic sabotage.” He insisted on a proper investigation rather than an immediate dismissal, stating Ahmed must prove he hasn’t compromised his office.
It is worth noting that in July, similar accusations regarding over $5.5 million in foreign education spending surfaced. at the time, the NMDPRA rebutted the claims, labeling them a “false” and “orchestrated smear campaign.”
SERAP Calls for Immediate Investigation
In response to these revelations, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a statement calling on the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the EFCC, and the ICPC to launch a joint investigation. SERAP urged these agencies to invite Ahmed for questioning to explain the source of the funds and to investigate allegations that the NMDPRA has been arbitrarily issuing import licenses for Russian petroleum products.
The organization argued that Dangote’s allegations constitute a “public interest disclosure” and that the whistleblower should be protected by President Tinubu and the federal government. SERAP maintains that a thorough probe is essential to uphold Nigeria’s constitution and international anti-corruption commitments.
PETROAN Defends Ahmed, Alleges Blackmail
Conversely, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has dismissed Dangote’s claims. In an exclusive interview, PETROAN National President Billy Gillis-Harry described the allegations as “petty” and a form of blackmail designed to allow Dangote to monopolize the downstream sector. “I’m concerned from a moral point of view… it’s some kind of blackmail,” Gillis-Harry said, adding that he finds it hard to believe Ahmed would have such funds available for secondary school fees.
A History of Conflict
This is not the first confrontation between the two parties. Between 2024 and 2025, Dangote Oil Refinery sued the NMDPRA and NNPC, seeking N100 billion in damages and demanding the cancellation of import permits for fuel traders. Dangote had argued that continuing large-scale imports despite local refining capacity violated the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and threatened domestic refineries. However, by mid-2025, Dangote withdrew the lawsuit, and the case was dismissed by the court.
Do you believe these allegations require a full federal investigation, or is this simply a corporate battle? Share your thoughts below.
