ICPC Vows to Probe NMDPRA Boss, Farouk Ahmed
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed it will commence an investigation into allegations of corruption levelled against Engr. Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The anti-graft agency disclosed that it has received a formal petition submitted by President of Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, against the NMDPRA boss.
John Odey, spokesperson of the Commission, said the petition would be duly investigated in line with the agency’s statutory mandate.
It was earlier reported that Dangote, through his legal representatives, submitted a petition to the ICPC demanding the investigation and prosecution of Ahmed over alleged financial impropriety.
Confirming the development in a terse statement, Odey said:
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) writes to confirm that it received a formal petition today, Tuesday, December 16, 2025, from Alhaji Aliko Dangote through his lawyer.
“The petition is against the CEO of the NMDPRA, Alhaji Farouk Ahmed. The ICPC wishes to state that the petition will be duly investigated.”
In the petition, Dangote accused Ahmed of living above his means as a public officer, alleging that he expended about $5 million to fund the secondary education of his children in Switzerland.
“I am not calling for his removal, but for a proper investigation,” Dangote said. “He should be required to account for his actions and demonstrate that he has not compromised his position to the detriment of Nigerians.”
The billionaire industrialist also urged the Code of Conduct Bureau and other relevant agencies to probe the matter, stating that he was prepared to provide evidence to support his claims if required.
Speaking earlier at a press conference at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Dangote accused the leadership of the NMDPRA of frustrating local refining efforts through the continued issuance of petroleum product import licences despite rising domestic refining capacity.
According to him, the regulator’s actions have sustained Nigeria’s dependence on fuel imports and discouraged investment in local refining. He claimed that import licences covering about 7.5 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were issued for the first quarter of 2026, even as local refiners struggle to remain profitable.
Dangote warned that continued importation of refined products was hurting local production and pushing modular refineries to the brink of collapse, alleging that vested interests were benefitting from fuel imports at the expense of national development.