Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, has come under intense public scrutiny following allegations by President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, that the regulator spent about five million dollars on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland.

Dangote made the allegation during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, sparking widespread debate on transparency, accountability and ethical conduct among senior public office holders.

According to Dangote, the alleged expenditure raised serious questions about how a career public servant could afford such fees, insisting that the matter deserved thorough investigation by relevant authorities.

“You cannot imagine somebody paying $5 million just to educate four children in secondary school,” Dangote said.

He further stated that he was prepared to compel the schools involved to disclose the payments if the allegations were denied, adding that even his own children did not attend such institutions.

“Even my own children didn’t go to those schools. My children went to a Nigerian secondary school,” he said.

Profile of Farouk Ahmed

Engr. Ahmed, born in July 1957, holds a degree in Engineering Technology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, United States.

He has built a long career spanning the technology sector and Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. He previously worked as a logic board verification engineer at Apple Computer Inc. in Dallas, Texas, before returning to Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

Over the years, Ahmed has held several senior positions, including Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority (PPPRA), Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), and Special Adviser on Downstream Petroleum Matters to the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

He also served as Managing Director of NiDAS Marine Limited and worked as a senior crude oil trader with Duke Oil Inc.

Ahmed is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the United States, and a registered engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).

He is the pioneer Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, the agency responsible for regulating Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations.

Ahmed was appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari and was retained by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after he assumed office in May 2023.

In a statement issued to mark his birthday in July 2025, the President, through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, commended Ahmed for stabilising the downstream petroleum sector, ensuring fuel availability and eliminating fuel queues in the post-subsidy era.

“As the pioneer head of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed has been instrumental in stabilising Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector and laying the foundation for a more transparent, competitive and consumer-focused energy market,” the statement said.

Allegations and Calls for Investigation

Dangote stressed that his concern was not personal but centered on public accountability, describing the alleged conduct as economic sabotage if proven true.

“I am not calling for his removal. What I am asking for is a proper investigation. He should be required to account for his actions and demonstrate that he has not compromised his position to the detriment of Nigerians,” Dangote said.

He further contrasted the alleged spending with the economic hardship faced by many Nigerians, noting that families in parts of the country struggle to pay school fees of N100,000.

While the allegations have generated intense public debate, Ahmed has yet to make a public response.

Earlier in July 2025, the NMDPRA dismissed similar claims that Ahmed spent over $5.5 million on foreign education for his children, describing them as false and part of an orchestrated smear campaign against the agency.

SERAP Seeks Urgent Probe

Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on anti-corruption agencies to urgently investigate the allegations.

In a statement on Monday, SERAP urged the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly probe the claims.

The organisation specifically called for Ahmed to be invited for questioning and asked the agencies to establish the source of funds allegedly used for the foreign education of his children.

“The anti-corruption agencies should jointly and urgently invite the Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, to explain the allegations,” SERAP said.

SERAP also urged the Federal Government to protect Dangote as a whistleblower, describing his allegations as disclosures made in the public interest.

PETROAN Dismisses Allegations

However, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) dismissed Dangote’s claims, describing them as blackmail aimed at taking over Nigeria’s downstream oil sector.

National President of PETROAN, Mr. Billy Gillis-Harry, said the accusations were too petty to be credible.

“There is no way I can believe that Ahmed Faruq will have money to pay such secondary school fees. As far as I’m concerned, it’s blackmail,” he said.

Background to Dangote–NMDPRA Dispute

The latest controversy is not the first confrontation between Dangote and the NMDPRA.

Between 2024 and 2025, Dangote Oil Refinery filed a lawsuit against the NMDPRA and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), challenging the issuance of fuel import permits to marketers despite local refining capacity.

The suit, which sought N100 billion in damages, was later withdrawn by Dangote and subsequently dismissed by the court.

Observers say the outcome of the current controversy may have significant implications for public trust, regulatory oversight and accountability in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.