President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has accused the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of allegedly spending about $5 million on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland.
Dangote made the allegation on Sunday during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, where he called for a full investigation and a public explanation, warning that the issue could further erode public trust and investor confidence if left unaddressed.
According to Dangote, Ahmed should be made to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal to explain how a public servant allegedly funded such an amount, describing the situation as economic sabotage.
“I’ve actually had people making complaints about a regulator who has actually put his children in secondary school,” Dangote said. “And that secondary school education, which is six years, four of them cost Nigeria $5m. I mean, you cannot imagine somebody paying $5m for educating four children.”
Dangote questioned how the alleged expenditure aligns with Ahmed’s income as a public official, noting that such spending would normally attract scrutiny from tax authorities.
“When you look at his income, his income does not match paying this kind of fee,” he said. “And even if it’s me paying $5m for six years for my four children, the taxman has to look at my taxes and how much I pay.”
He expressed concern about the contrast between the alleged spending and the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians, particularly in northern parts of the country.
“From Sokoto, where he comes from, people are struggling to pay ₦100,000 for school fees. A lot of children are at home, not going to school, because of ₦100,000,” Dangote stated. “I cannot understand why somebody who has worked all his life in government… has four children whose school fees he has paid $5m for.”
Dangote also stressed that his own children did not attend secondary schools abroad. “Even my own children, they didn’t go to those schools. My children went to a Nigerian secondary school. They didn’t go outside Nigeria to attend secondary school,” he said.
Clarifying his position, Dangote said he was not calling for Ahmed’s removal but for transparency and accountability. “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.”
He added that if the allegation is denied, he is prepared to publish details of the tuition allegedly paid and pursue legal steps to compel the schools involved to disclose payment records.
“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,” Dangote said.
Dangote further linked the issue to broader challenges in the downstream petroleum sector, claiming that vested interests benefit from fuel imports at the expense of national development.
“There are powerful interests in the oil sector,” he said. “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.”
