Mr. Farouk Ahmed has resigned as Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) amid corruption allegations levelled against him by the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko Dangote.

The resignation was confirmed on Wednesday by the Presidential spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who also disclosed that Mr. Gbenga Komolafe has exited his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

According to Mr. Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu has transmitted the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as replacements for both regulatory agencies.

In a letter to the lawmakers, the President requested the expedited confirmation of Mr. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Mr. Saidu Mohammed as the new head of the NMDPRA.

“The two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry,” the statement read in part.

Hours before his resignation, Mr. Ahmed visited President Tinubu at the State House, Abuja. Dressed in traditional attire, the Bauchi-born former regulator spent less than 30 minutes at the Presidential Villa before departing.

Although the purpose of the visit was not disclosed, Mr. Ahmed declined to speak with journalists, saying: “It’s already late for an interview. It’s past 5 p.m. Work has closed.”

The resignation came against the backdrop of a high-profile dispute between Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Dangote, which escalated after the industrialist petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the former NMDPRA boss of corruption and financial impropriety.

In the petition, submitted through his lawyer, Mr. Ogwu Onoja, Mr. Dangote urged the anti-graft agency to arrest, investigate, and prosecute Mr. Ahmed.

Africa’s richest man alleged that Mr. Ahmed was living beyond his legitimate means, claiming that four of his children attended secondary schools in Switzerland at a cost running into several million dollars.

He further alleged that about $5 million was spent on their secondary education and upkeep over a six-year period, with an additional $2 million allegedly expended on tertiary education. This, he claimed, included approximately $210,000 for a 2025 Harvard MBA programme for one of Mr. Ahmed’s children.

Mr. Dangote reportedly listed the names of the children and the schools they attend, urging the ICPC to prosecute the former regulator in accordance with the law.

“We have no reservation that, being a matter in the public domain, the Commission will not close its eyes to it but act decisively to ensure that justice is done and the good image of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is protected,” the petition stated.

The ICPC confirmed receipt of the petition and assured the public that it would be “duly investigated.”

Responding to the allegations, Mr. Ahmed described them as “wild and spurious,” insisting that he would rather clear his name before a formal investigative body than engage in public exchanges with the businessman.

In a disclaimer personally signed by him, the former NMDPRA chief said a purported response attributed to him in the media did not originate from him.

“My attention has been drawn to a purported response I was said to have made on the recent allegations against my person,” the statement read.

“I hereby state categorically that the so-called statement did not emanate from me.

“While I am aware of the wild and spurious allegations made against me and my family, and the frenzy it has generated, as a regulator in a sensitive industry, I have opted not to engage in public brickbat.

“Thankfully, the person behind the allegations has taken the matter to a formal investigative institution. I believe that will provide an opportunity to dispassionately distil the issues and to clear my name.”

The dispute between both men dates back to July 2024, when Mr. Ahmed, as NMDPRA chief, stated that locally refined petroleum products, including those from the Dangote Refinery, were inferior to imported products.

Mr. Dangote rejected the assertion and publicly tested diesel produced by his refinery during an oversight visit by federal lawmakers.

More than a year later, the industrialist renewed his criticism, accusing the NMDPRA leadership under Mr. Ahmed of economic sabotage.

Speaking at a press conference at the Dangote Refinery in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, Mr. Dangote alleged that certain regulatory decisions were undermining domestic refining capacity.

He claimed that the continued issuance of import licences for petroleum products was frustrating local refiners and perpetuating Nigeria’s dependence on imports.

“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, 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.”

On Tuesday, the industrialist published details of the allegations in a national daily and formally submitted his petition to the ICPC hours later.

“Nigerians deserve to know the source or sources of these sums of money paid by a public officer, while many parents in his home state of Sokoto cannot afford N10,000 school fees for their children and wards,” he said.

He also accused the regulatory agency of frustrating efforts to boost local refining through the continued issuance of import licences.