The feud between Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, has escalated, with Dangote releasing specific figures and schools allegedly attended by Ahmed’s children.
The allegations were contained in a circular sighted by SaharaReporters, signed by Dangote, under the heading “ALLEGATION,” and addressed directly to the NMDPRA boss.
The document alleges that Farouk Ahmed “spent over $5 million on his four children’s foreign secondary education in Switzerland.”
Dangote listed the children as Faisal Farouk, Farouk Jr., Ashraf Farouk, and Farhana Farouk, and named the alleged institutions as Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institute Le Rosey, and La Garenne International School.
The circular broke down the estimated cost for the six years of secondary education:
- Annual Tuition, Air tickets, and upkeep per child: $200,000.
- Total for 4 children/6 years: $5,000,000 (Approximate Total Fees for Tuition and Upkeep).
Dangote also raised questions about tertiary education costs, estimating an additional $2 million for the four children, and specifically cited an alleged $210,000 spent on Faisal Farouk’s 2025 Harvard MBA.
The financial claims coincide with Dangote’s accusation that Ahmed is deliberately destroying Nigeria’s economy by prioritizing imports over local refining.
Using a harsh analogy during a recent public engagement, Dangote likened the regulatory actions to economic sabotage.
He said: “If now you have a bakery and I have your template, I know that your cost is ₦1,000 and I’m coming to sell that bread in front of your bakery at ₦800, what does that mean? Are you paying for me or are you sabotaging me? So that is sabotage.”
He added: “The key message is that I think we are allowing Farouk to destroy the economy of Nigeria,” Dangote said bluntly. “And I think we should not allow him to continue sabotaging and destroying the economy of Nigeria.”
Dangote demanded that a career public servant account for such vast expenditure, stressing the contrast with the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.
“He has to be charged to the Code of Conduct Bureau,” Dangote said. “Because they have his returns. He must have filed what he owns, and he needs to explain, because he’s been working for government all his life.”
The billionaire issued a direct threat to the regulator: “When he denies it, and I know it will be the major headline tomorrow, I will publish, with my name, saying these are the schools they attended.
“As a matter of fact, I will sue those schools to publish how much fees he has paid for all the time they were there.”
As of the latest reports, NMDPRA CEO Engr. Farouk Ahmed has yet to issue a direct statement in response to the detailed allegations. However, the House of Representatives has summoned both parties to appear before a joint committee to resolve the crisis.