Dangote Drags NMDPRA Boss to ICPC Over Alleged Corruption

Africa’s richest man and industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, over allegations of corruption, abuse of office and financial impropriety.

The petition, dated December 16, 2025, was submitted to the ICPC through Dangote’s legal representatives, Dr. Ogwu J. Onoja, SAN & Associates, and formally received by the anti-graft agency on the same day.

In the petition, Dangote urged the ICPC to arrest, investigate and prosecute the NMDPRA boss, alleging that Engr. Ahmed has been living far above his legitimate means as a public servant, contrary to the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.

According to the document, Dangote specifically accused the NMDPRA chief executive of allegedly expending over seven million United States dollars ($7 million) in public funds to finance the education of his four children in Switzerland, paying tuition fees upfront for six years across multiple elite institutions.

The petition listed the schools to include Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey and La Garenne International School, alleging that such expenditure is inconsistent with Engr. Ahmed’s earnings over his lifetime in public service.

Dangote further claimed that Engr. Ahmed has spent the entirety of his adult working life in Nigeria’s public sector, including long years at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), now NNPC Limited, and that his cumulative legitimate income, by estimation, could not reasonably account for the alleged expenditure.

The industrialist also accused the NMDPRA boss of using the instrumentality of his office to embezzle and divert public funds for private gain, actions which he claimed have fueled public discontent and protests by various groups in recent times.

The petition referenced provisions of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, arguing that the alleged acts constitute corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and unlawful diversion of public resources, offences punishable under Nigerian law.

Dangote stated his readiness to present documentary and other evidence to substantiate the allegations and called on the ICPC to act in the interest of transparency, accountability and public trust.

As of the time of filing this report, Engr. Farouk Ahmed has not publicly responded to the allegations, while the ICPC is yet to issue an official statement on the petition.