Aliko Dangote, founder and President/Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group, has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of alleged corruption, claiming the regulator spent $5 million on his children’s secondary school education in Switzerland.
Speaking on Sunday, December 14, 2025, during a media briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lekki, Lagos, Dangote described the alleged expenditure as inconsistent with a public servant’s income and a betrayal of public trust.
Dangote alleged that the amount covered six years of secondary education for four children, a figure he said could not be justified by Ahmed’s official earnings.
“I’ve had people actually complaining about a regulator who put his children in secondary school, and that secondary school education, which is six years, four of them cost Nigeria five million dollars.
My children went to secondary school in Nigeria. They did not go outside Nigeria to attend secondary school,” Dangote said.
Concerns Over Accountability
Dangote said the allegation raises troubling questions about transparency, income declaration, and accountability in Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory system.
“This is a system where some of us are taxpayers. When people are complaining, we also complain, because when I pay tax, I want to see my money put to use, not stolen,” he said.
“I don’t know why the authority chief executive, Mallam Farouk, has four children educated in Switzerland at the cost of five million dollars for their secondary school education alone, not university.”
The billionaire industrialist urged that such alleged financial excesses should not be ignored, warning that they undermine the credibility of public institutions.
“The man must come and explain to Nigerians how he paid five million dollars for six years of his four children’s education,” he said.
“We cannot allow this to continue because we must make sure people do not come and destroy a country just because they want to make a living that is not genuine or legal.”
Reference to Overseas Education
Dangote also referred to reports that one of Ahmed’s children recently graduated from Harvard University.
“I know that one of them just finished Harvard. I want to see what kind of system we are operating where people are busy destroying a country and taking money from government because their income does not match this kind of spending,” he said.
“Even if it were me paying five million dollars for six years for four children, the taxman would have to look at my taxes and ask how much I paid.”
Call for Investigation
While calling for accountability, Dangote clarified that he was not demanding Ahmed’s immediate dismissal but urged the government to open a formal inquiry.
“The Code of Conduct Bureau, or any other body deemed appropriate by the government, should investigate the matter. Let them see whether his income matches the five million dollars paid as school fees for six years for four children. This is without tickets,” he said.
“He does not need to be sacked. Let him come and clear that he has not compromised his position in government at the cost of Nigerians.”
Dangote contrasted the alleged expenditure with the financial struggles of ordinary Nigerians.
“From where he comes from, people are struggling to pay ₦100,000 for secondary school fees. Many children are at home because their parents cannot afford that amount.
I cannot understand why someone who has worked all his life in government would have four children whose secondary school fees alone cost five million dollars,” he said.
Threat of Legal Action
Dangote warned that he would take legal steps to compel disclosure from the Swiss schools if the allegation was denied.
“If he denies it, I will not only publish what he paid as tuition in those secondary schools, but I will also sue the schools to disclose how much he paid for the entire period.
He should tell Nigerians which universities they attended and how much was paid there. People who have done something wrong must be prosecuted,” he stated.
As of the time of reporting, Farouk Ahmed had not issued any public response to the allegations.
