President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has formally submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk.
The development came on the heels of the tirades Mr Dangote has launched on Mr Farouk since Sunday over the NMDPRA’s continued issuance of licences for the importation of refined petroleum products into the country.
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Mr Dangote sees Mr Farouk’s pro-importation disposition as a threat to his multi-billion-dollar refinery and the larger Nigerian economy.
On Sunday, Mr Dangote alleged that Farouk engaged in economic sabotage by undermining domestic refining. He claimed the NMDPRA boss colluded with international traders and oil importers through the continued issuance of import licences.
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Speaking at Dangote Petroleum Refinery, in Lagos, he further accused Mr Farouk of living beyond his means, noting that four of his children attend expensive schools in Switzerland, raising potential conflict-of-interest concerns.
In a statement on Monday, Mr Dangote expanded on his allegations, accusing Mr Farouk of corruption and misappropriation of funds, including spending millions of dollars on his children’s education abroad.
He gave details of Mr Farouk’s children—Faisal Farouk (Montreux School), Farouk Jr. (Aiglon College), Ashraf Farouk (Institute Le Rosey) and Farhana Farouk (La Garenne International School)—spent six years each abroad.
He estimated their total secondary education and upkeep at around $5 million and said Farouk spent an additional $2 million on their tertiary education, including $210,000 for Faisal’s 2025 Harvard MBA.
The petition
Mr Dangote submitted his petition on Tuesday through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), demanding the arrest, investigation and prosecution of Mr Farouk for allegedly living above his means as a public servant.
The petition, received by the office of the ICPC chairman, Musa Aliyu, accused Mr Farouk of “spending without evidence of lawful means of income amounting to over $7 million for the education of his four children” in Switzerland.
The document named the children and their schools and provided specific amounts paid for verification.
He claimed that throughout Mr Farouk’s career in the public sector, his total earnings were far below the $7 million allegedly spent on his children’s education abroad.
Mr Dangote also alleged that Mr Farouk used his position at the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain, which had prompted protests from various groups.
“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement constitute gross acts of corrupt practices, for which ICPC is statutorily empowered under section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” Mr Dangote said.
“Upon a successful prosecution, under section 19 of the ICPC Act, the person is liable to imprisonment for five years without an option of fine.
The ICPC is strategically positioned, along with sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and other corruption-related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders.”
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Dangote therefore called on the ICPC to investigate the allegations against Farouk and prosecute him if found guilty.
He expressed confidence that the commission, being aware of the public interest in the matter, would act decisively to protect justice and the integrity of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He vowed to remain available to provide evidence supporting his allegations against Mr Farouk.
All efforts to reach Mr Farouk on Tuesday were unsuccessful, as his phone line was not reachable. However, the Head, Public Affairs, NMDPRA, George Enae-Ita, told our reporter on phone that he had “no comment.”
