President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has called for an investigation and prosecution of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, accusing him of economic sabotage, which he said is undermining domestic refining in Nigeria.
Speaking at a press conference at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Sunday, Mr Dangote accused the leadership of the NMDPRA of colluding with international traders and oil importers to frustrate local refining through the continued issuance of import licences for petroleum products.
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Mr Dangote claimed that Mr Ahmed was living beyond his legitimate means, claiming that four of his children attend secondary schools in Switzerland at costs running into several million of dollars. He said such expenditure raised serious questions about potential conflict of interest and the integrity of regulatory oversight in the downstream petroleum sector.
Mr Ahmed could not be immediately reached as of the time of filing this report Monday morning. A message sent to his known telephone number was not responded to.
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Import Concerns
Expressing concern over the state of the downstream sector, Mr Dangote said Nigeria’s continued reliance on fuel imports was harming local production and discouraging investment in domestic refining.
He disclosed that import licences covering approximately 7.5 billion litres of PMS had reportedly been issued for the first quarter of 2026, despite the availability of significant domestic refining capacity.
According to him, modular refineries are already struggling under the current policy environment and on the brink of extinction, while the persistent issuance of import permits further weakens the sector.
“I am not calling for his removal, but for a proper investigation. He should be required to account for his actions and demonstrate that he has not compromised his position to the detriment of Nigerians. What is happening amounts to economic sabotage,” Mr Dangote said.
He further alleged that Mr Ahmed paid as much as five million dollars in tuition fees for his children’s secondary education in Switzerland, questioning how many Nigerians could afford such costs.
“The Code of Conduct Bureau, or any other body deemed appropriate by the government, can investigate the matter. If he denies it, I will not only publish what he paid as tuition in those secondary schools, but I will also take legal steps to compel the schools to disclose the payments made by Farouk. I sent my own children to secondary schools here in Nigeria. How many Nigerians can afford to pay five million dollars for secondary school tuition, not university education? In his home state of Sokoto, many parents are struggling to pay as little as N10,000 in school fees,” Mr Dangote said.
He described the downstream petroleum sector as being under severe strain, alleging the presence of entrenched interests that profit from fuel imports at the expense of national development.
“There are powerful interests in the oil sector. It is troubling that African countries continue to import refined products despite long-standing calls for value addition and domestic refining. The volume of imports being allowed into the country is unethical and does a disservice to Nigeria,” he added.
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Mr Dangote stressed the need for a clear separation between regulatory oversight and commercial interests, warning that allowing traders to influence regulation would undermine the integrity of the sector.
“The downstream sector must not be destroyed by personal interests. A trader should never be a regulator. Forty-seven licences have been issued, yet no new refineries are being built because the environment is not conducive,” he said.
He maintained that Nigerians would ultimately benefit from local refining, even as fuel importers incur losses.
Mr Dangote said he would not relent in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy the benefits of domestic refining, noting that the company was working around the clock to ensure that recent reductions in the gantry price were fully reflected at the retail level.
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