Dangote Calls for Federal Probe of NMDPRA Chief Farouk

Dangote Calls for Federal Probe of NMDPRA Chief Farouk

The institutional clash between Nigeria’s foremost industrialist and the leadership of the petroleum regulatory body has reached a state of open warfare following a detailed petition that aims to expose the internal workings of the nation’s energy oversight. Aliko Dangote has formally called for a comprehensive investigation into the assets and conduct of NMDPRA Chief Farouk Ahmed, submitting a dossier to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Code of Conduct Bureau. The billionaire asserts that the regulator has moved beyond simple policy disagreement into the realm of active economic sabotage, alleging that the authority has deliberately prioritized the interests of an elite circle of fuel importers over the success of domestic refining capacity.

Central to this legal offensive is a series of staggering financial allegations regarding the lifestyle and expenditures of the regulatory head. The petition meticulously outlines claims that NMDPRA Chief Farouk facilitated the payment of approximately $5 million in upfront school fees for each of his four children to attend elite secondary institutions in Switzerland. According to the documents, these payments were made to secure six year educational slots for Faisal Farouk, Farouk Jr., Ashraf Farouk, and Farhana Farouk at some of the world’s most expensive boarding schools, including the Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, and La Garenne International School. The billionaire industrialist questions how a lifelong public servant could legitimate such expenditures, which reportedly total over $20 million for secondary education alone, supplemented by an additional $2 million for tertiary studies and a $210,000 Harvard MBA program completed by one of the children in 2025.

Beyond the personal financial scrutiny, the petition provides a technical breakdown of alleged regulatory malpractice designed to undermine the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery. The industrialist argues that the regulator has consistently bypassed Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act, which mandate that local refining needs must be met before import licenses are issued. Instead, the agency is accused of saturating the market with high sulfur, “dirty fuel” from international trading houses, while simultaneously making public claims that locally refined products were inferior. This regulatory environment, described by Dangote as a calculated effort to preserve a billion dollar importation regime, has sparked nationwide protests and led to the dramatic resignation of the regulatory chief on December 17, 2025, immediately following a high profile meeting with the President.

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As the federal government moves to stabilize the sector, the appointment of Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as the new successor marks a potential shift in the country’s energy policy. The fallout from this petition is expected to trigger a wider audit of the petroleum sector’s licensing processes and the personal asset declarations of top officials. For many Nigerians, this case is no longer just a corporate dispute between two powerful men but a pivotal moment in the fight for transparency within the agencies that manage the nation’s most valuable resource.