A civic advocacy group, the Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria, on Monday staged a protest at the headquarters of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Abuja, demanding the immediate suspension of the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Farouk Ahmed.
The group, led by its Coordinator Felicia E. Daniels, accused Ahmed of being at the centre of an alleged multi-million-dollar financial scandal, abuse of office, and regulatory compromise.
Daniels alleged that Ahmed had diverted over $5 million in public funds to sponsor the lavish foreign education of his four children Faisal, Farouk Jr., Ashraf, and Farhana in elite institutions in Switzerland and India, including Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, La Garenne International School, and European University Montreux.
“These schools charge between $80,000 and $140,000 annually. The total expenditure on tuition, accommodation, upkeep, and flights is alleged to have exceeded $5 million funds reportedly routed through undisclosed accounts and proxy relatives,” Daniels stated.
The group further alleged that these expenses were not captured in the CEO’s asset declarations, describing the actions as unethical and potentially criminal under Nigeria’s public service regulations.
Additionally, the forum accused Ahmed of facilitating the employment of his son, Faisal, at Oando PLC a company under NMDPRA’s regulatory purview described it as a clear conflict of interest and abuse of influence.
“Engr. Ahmed is the regulator. Oando is the regulated. Having his son employed there smacks of impropriety and undermines regulatory impartiality,” Daniels declared.
The group also raised environmental and public health concerns, alleged that under Ahmed’s leadership, the NMDPRA approved the importation of diesel with sulphur content of up to 2,000 parts per million a figure 40 times higher than the standard recommended by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
“This is not just a regulatory lapse it’s a threat to public health. No sanctions were issued, no importers held accountable. This shows that the regulator is enabling vested interests instead of protecting Nigerians,” Daniels said.
Concluding the protest, the group urged Ahmed to resign or step aside to allow for an independent investigation. “You may still have the title, but you’ve lost the moral mandate,” Daniels declared. “If you won’t resign, then Nigerians must make it clear that we reject impunity.”
As of the time of this report, NMDPRA has yet to respond to the allegations.
