The Founder and President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko Dangote, has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr. Farouk Ahmed, of corruption, and has called for an investigation by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

Mr. Dangote made the allegation on Sunday during a media briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lekki, Lagos, claiming that Mr. Ahmed spent about $5 million on secondary school education for his children in Switzerland.

According to Mr. Dangote, the alleged expenditure, which he said covered six years of schooling for four children, was inconsistent with the income of a public servant and posed a threat to public confidence in regulatory institutions.

“I’ve had people actually complaining about a regulator who put his children in secondary school, and that secondary school education, which is six years, for four of them, cost Nigeria five million dollars,” Mr. Dangote said.

“My children went to secondary school in Nigeria. They did not go outside Nigeria to attend secondary school,” he added.

He questioned how a public official could afford such spending if public funds were being properly managed, insisting that taxpayers were entitled to accountability.

“This is a system where some of us are taxpayers. When people are complaining, we also complain, because when I pay tax, I want to see my money put to use, not stolen,” he said.

“I don’t know why the authority chief executive, Mallam Farouk, has four children educated in Switzerland at the cost of five million dollars for their secondary school education alone, not university.”

Mr. Dangote said the allegation raised serious concerns about income declaration, conflicts of interest, and regulatory integrity in the downstream petroleum sector.

“The man must come and explain to Nigerians how he paid five million dollars for six years of his four children’s education,” he said.

“I don’t think any of you here has paid that kind of fees for your own children. We cannot allow this to continue, because we must make sure people do not come and destroy a country just because they want to make a living that is not genuine or legal.”

He further referenced reports that one of Mr. Ahmed’s children had completed a university education at Harvard University.

“I know that one of them just finished Harvard. I want to see what kind of system we are operating where people are busy destroying a country and taking money from government, because their income does not match this kind of spending,” he said.

“Even if it were me paying five million dollars for six years for four children, the taxman would have to look at my taxes and ask how much I paid.”

Mr. Dangote stressed that Mr. Ahmed should not be summarily dismissed but should instead be investigated to clear his name.

“The Code of Conduct Bureau, or any other body deemed appropriate by the government, should investigate the matter. Let them see whether his income matches the five million dollars paid as school fees for six years for four children. This is without tickets,” he said.

“He does not need to be sacked. Let him come and clear that he has not compromised his position in government at the cost of Nigerians.”

He contrasted the allegation with the financial struggles of ordinary Nigerians, noting that many families were unable to afford modest secondary school fees.

“From where he comes from, people are struggling to pay ₦100,000 for secondary school fees. Many children are at home because their parents cannot afford that amount,” he said.

“I cannot understand why someone who has worked all his life in government would have four children whose secondary school fees alone cost five million dollars.”

Mr. Dangote warned that he would pursue legal action to compel disclosure if the allegation was denied.

“If he denies it, I will not only publish what he paid as tuition in those secondary schools, but I will also sue the schools to disclose how much he paid for the entire period,” he said.

“He should tell Nigerians which universities they attended and how much was paid there. People who have done something wrong must be prosecuted.”

As of the time of filing this report, Mr. Ahmed had yet to respond to the allegations.