THE founder and President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has alleged that the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, engaged in corrupt practices, revealing that the official spent about $5 million on secondary school education for his children in Switzerland.
Dangote made the allegation yesterday during a media briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lekki, Lagos.
He described the reported expenditure as incompatible with the earnings of a public servant and said it undermines public confidence in regulatory institutions.
According to Dangote, the alleged sum covered six years of secondary education for four children, an amount he argued could not reasonably be explained by income from public service.
I’ve had people complain about a regulator who sent his children to secondary school abroad, and that education for four children over six years cost Nigeria five million dollars, Dangote said. “My own children attended secondary school in Nigeria. They did not go abroad at that level”.
He stressed that taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability, questioning how a government official could afford such costs if public resources were being properly managed.
This is a system funded by taxpayers. When people complain, we also complain, because when I pay tax, I want to see my money used appropriately, not diverted,” he said.
“I don’t understand how the head of an authority can have four children educated in Switzerland at the cost of five million dollars for secondary school alone, not university”.
Dangote said the allegation raises serious questions about asset declaration, conflict of interest, and the integrity of regulation in the downstream petroleum sector.
He must explain to Nigerians how he paid five million dollars for the education of his four children over six years.
Most people here cannot afford anything close to that. We cannot continue like this if we want to protect this country from being destroyed by illegitimate wealth, he said.
He also referenced reports of overseas university education, adding that such spending should attract scrutiny.
If someone spends five million dollars in that manner, even if it were me, the tax authorities would have questions. Income must match expenditure, Dangote stated.
Calling for due process, Dangote said Ahmed should not be removed from office without an investigation, but should instead be subjected to a thorough probe by the appropriate authorities.
The Code of Conduct Bureau or any relevant agency should investigate and determine whether his income supports this level of spending. Let him clear his name and show that he has not compromised his public office, he said.
Dangote contrasted the alleged spending with the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians, many of whom struggle to pay modest school fees.
People in his community are struggling to raise ₦100,000 for secondary school fees. Many children are out of school because their parents cannot afford it.
Yet a lifelong public servant is said to have spent five million dollars on secondary education alone, he added.
He further warned that if the allegation is denied, he would pursue legal action to compel disclosure.
If he denies it, I will publish what was paid and take legal steps to compel the schools to disclose the full details.
Nigerians deserve to know where such money came from. Anyone found to have acted wrongly must face prosecution, Dangote said.
As of the time of filing this report, Farouk Ahmed had not responded to the allegations.