Farouk Ahmed has resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) following a high-level meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President Tinubu had on Wednesday summoned Ahmed amid grave allegations of economic sabotage and corruption, raising fresh concerns over regulatory integrity in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
The controversy was triggered by claims from the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, who accused Ahmed and the leadership of the NMDPRA of involvement in multimillion-dollar corruption and actions allegedly designed to frustrate local refining.
Speaking at a press conference at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Sunday, Dangote alleged that the NMDPRA colluded with international oil traders and importers to undermine domestic refining capacity through the continued issuance of import licences for petroleum products, despite Nigeria’s growing local refining potential.
Dangote further accused Ahmed of living far beyond his legitimate means, alleging that four of his children are enrolled in secondary schools in Switzerland at costs running into several millions of dollars. He said such spending raised serious questions about conflict of interest and the credibility of regulatory oversight in the downstream petroleum sector.
Expanding on the allegations on Monday, Dangote accused the former NMDPRA boss of corruption and misappropriation of public funds, providing estimates of expenditures on his children’s overseas education. According to him, Ahmed allegedly spent about $5 million on secondary education and upkeep over six years, and an additional $2 million on tertiary education, including $210,000 for a 2025 Harvard MBA programme for one of his children.
On Tuesday, Dangote escalated the matter by submitting a formal petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The petition called for Ahmed’s arrest, investigation and prosecution for allegedly living above his lawful income as a public officer.
The petition, addressed to ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu, alleged that Ahmed spent over $7 million on the education of his four children in Switzerland without evidence of lawful income. It reportedly included details of the children’s names, schools and specific amounts to aid verification.
Dangote also accused Ahmed of using his position to embezzle public funds, allegations that have since sparked protests and calls for accountability from civil society groups.
Citing Section 19 of the ICPC Act, Dangote noted that the commission is empowered to investigate and prosecute corrupt practices, stressing that a successful conviction could attract a five-year jail term without an option of fine. He urged the anti-graft agency to act decisively, adding that he remains available to provide evidence to support his claims.
Although Ahmed has yet to make a detailed public response to the allegations, his resignation marks a major shake-up at the NMDPRA and intensifies scrutiny of Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory framework.
The development raised fresh questions about the future leadership of the agency, the credibility of regulatory institutions, and whether the ICPC will be able to substantiate the allegations as investigations unfold.
