Dangote Accuses NMDPRA Boss of Corruption, Economic Sabotage Over Petrol Imports
Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has made explosive allegations against the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, accusing him of corruption and economic sabotage through the continued approval of massive petrol imports into Nigeria.
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Alleged $5 Million School Fees in Switzerland
According to Dangote, the central issue is the disparity between Engr. Ahmed’s known public sector earnings and his alleged high-profile personal expenditure.
“The regulator, Farouk, put four of his children through elite secondary schools in Switzerland and paid tuition fees of about $5 million over a six-year period,” Dangote said. “He has worked all his life in the public sector, so how did he make such an amount of money to educate his children overseas and pay such huge school fees?”
Dangote argued that the scale of the expenditure raises serious questions about possible corrupt enrichment and called for a thorough investigation by relevant anti-corruption institutions.
Accusation of Economic Sabotage
Beyond personal financial allegations, Dangote accused the NMDPRA leadership of economic sabotage, claiming that the regulator continues to issue import licenses for refined petroleum products despite Nigeria now having substantial local refining capacity.
He alleged that the NMDPRA approved import licenses covering approximately 7.5 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) for the first quarter of 2026, a move he said undermines domestic refiners and weakens Nigeria’s economy.
“The downstream sector must not be destroyed by one person for personal interest,” Dangote stated. “Approving massive petrol imports when we have local capacity discourages investment, weakens local refineries, and drains foreign exchange.”
According to Dangote, these imports force local refiners to purchase crude oil at a premium while competing with what he described as subsidised or deliberately encouraged foreign petrol imports.
Dispute Over Petrol Supply Figures
The allegations come amid a public disagreement between Dangote and the NMDPRA over petrol supply data.
Last week, the NMDPRA announced that the Dangote Refinery evacuated an average of 23.52 million litres of PMS per day in November, noting that this was below the refinery’s projected domestic supply target of 35 million litres per day.
Dangote strongly disputed the figures, arguing that the regulator only reported the volume evacuated from the refinery, not the total quantity produced.
“There is more than enough to supply the market,” Dangote insisted. “What they are reporting is evacuation, not actual production.”
Call for Investigation by Code of Conduct Bureau
Dangote called on the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and other relevant authorities to investigate Engr. Ahmed to determine whether his declared income as a public officer aligns with his alleged lifestyle and expenditure.
“Let the legal process take its place,” Dangote said. “The CCB needs to see if his salary matches the $5 million spent on his children’s school fees. He must not compromise his government job at the cost of Nigerians, especially when many people cannot afford N100,000 school fees in Sokoto State, where he comes from.”
Impact on Nigeria’s Downstream Sector
Dangote further lamented that regulatory uncertainty and alleged corrupt practices have discouraged foreign participation in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
“Very few foreigners are operating in Nigeria’s downstream sector because of corruption and regulatory instability,” he said. “The NMDPRA issued a reckless amount of petrol import licenses to the tune of 7.5 billion litres for Q1 2026.”
In a striking remark, Dangote added:
“Farouk should not be allowed to continue destroying the Nigerian economy. He should be investigated by the Code of Conduct Bureau. I myself would not be able to afford sending four of my children to school abroad for six years for $5 million in Switzerland.”
As of the time of filing this report, the NMDPRA and Engr. Farouk Ahmed have not issued an official response to the allegations. The claims remain allegations, pending investigation by the appropriate authorities.
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