Dangote Submits Petition to ICPC Over Alleged Corruption by NMDPRA Boss Ahmed Farouk

The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ahmed Farouk, alleging corruption and financial impropriety.

The petition, dated December 16, was submitted through Dangote’s lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), and received by the office of the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu (SAN). Dangote asked the commission to investigate, arrest and prosecute the NMDPRA chief, accusing him of living far beyond his lawful earnings as a public officer.

According to the petition, Farouk allegedly spent more than seven million dollars on the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland, paying for a six-year period upfront. Dangote listed the names of the children, their schools and the amounts allegedly paid for each, urging the anti-graft agency to verify the claims.

Dangote further alleged that Farouk had used his position at the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions he said had contributed to recent public protests and unrest. He maintained that Farouk had spent his adult life working in Nigeria’s public sector and could not have legitimately earned sums close to the amount allegedly expended on his children’s education.

In the petition, Dangote argued that the allegations amounted to abuse of office, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement, offences he said fall squarely within the ICPC’s statutory mandate. He called on the commission to act decisively in the public interest and to protect the image of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Dangote also pledged to make himself available to provide evidence to support his claims.

The allegations were first made public by Dangote during an interview on Sunday, where he questioned the source of the NMDPRA boss’s wealth and contrasted the alleged spending with the financial struggles of many Nigerian families. He later published details of the claims in a national daily before formally submitting the petition.

Dangote also accused the NMDPRA of frustrating local refining efforts, particularly through the continued issuance of import licences, which he said undermined domestic production.

Neither Farouk nor the NMDPRA has responded publicly to the allegations.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has intervened in the dispute and summoned both Dangote and the NMDPRA chief. The Joint Committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) directed both parties to refrain from further public comments, saying the move was aimed at easing tensions that could destabilise the downstream petroleum sector. A leader of the committees, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said the lawmakers wanted to understand the issues driving the allegations and counter-allegations in order to find lasting solutions.

The dispute between Dangote and the NMDPRA dates back to the commencement of operations at the Dangote Refinery last year. In July of that year, Farouk claimed that products from local refiners, including Dangote Refinery, were of lower quality than imported products and accused Dangote of attempting to monopolise the energy market, claims the industrialist denied. The matter was previously taken up by the House of Representatives, which at one point called for Farouk’s suspension. In August 2024, the NMDPRA maintained that the Dangote Refinery was still in a pre-commissioning phase and had not yet been issued an operational licence.