Dangote Petitions ICPC Over Alleged Corruption by NMDPRA Chief Farouk Ahmed

• Aliko Dangote has asked the ICPC to investigate and prosecute NMDPRA Managing Director Ahmed Farouk over alleged corruption and unexplained foreign education expenses running into millions of dollars.

Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has submitted a formal petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk, of corruption and financial impropriety.

The petition, dated December 16 and filed through Dangote’s lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), urges the anti-graft agency to arrest, investigate and prosecute the NMDPRA chief for allegedly living beyond his lawful earnings as a public officer.

According to the petition, which was received 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. Dangote claimed that the payments were made upfront and far exceeded what Ahmed could legitimately afford based on his public-sector career.

The businessman reportedly provided details of the children, the Swiss schools they attended and the sums paid for each, calling on the ICPC to verify the claims as part of its investigation.

Dangote further alleged that Ahmed used the instrumentality of the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain, actions he said had triggered public outrage and protests by various groups in recent times. He maintained that the NMDPRA boss had spent his adult working life in public service and could not have lawfully earned sums close to the amounts allegedly expended.

“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement are gross acts of corruption,” Dangote stated in the petition, urging the commission to “act decisively” in the public interest.

He added that under the ICPC Act, such offences attract penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment without an option of fine, stressing that the matter was already in the public domain and required urgent action to protect the image of the current administration.

Dangote also pledged to make himself available to provide documentary and other evidence in support of his allegations against Ahmed.

DON’T MISS: Nigerian Bank to Restrict Customers’ Accounts Without TIN or NIN

The allegations were first made public by Dangote during an interview at the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, where he questioned the source of funds used by the NMDPRA boss to educate his children abroad, contrasting it with the financial struggles of many Nigerian families.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has stepped into the dispute, summoning both Dangote and Ahmed. The Joint Committees on Petroleum Resources (Midstream and Downstream) have also asked both parties to refrain from further public statements, citing concerns over stability in the downstream petroleum sector.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Ahmed nor the NMDPRA had issued an official response to the allegations.

See pages of petition below: