Trending 
Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has said that a statement circulating in his name addressing recent allegations by Aliko Dangote was not issued by him.
According to Premium Times, Farouk stated that despite being aware of the allegations levelled against him, he has chosen not to respond and engage in public brickbat.
“My attention has been drawn to a purported response I was said to have made on the recent allegations against my person. I hereby state categorically that the so-called statement did not emanate from me.
“While I am aware of the wild and spurious allegations made against me and my family and the frenzy it has generated, as a regulator of a sensitive industry, I have opted not to engage in public brickbat.
“Thankfully, the person behind the allegations has taken it to a formal investigative institution. I believe that would provide an opportunity to dispassionately distil the issues and to clear my name,” Ahmed said.
While speaking at a press conference at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Sunday, Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, had accused the leadership of the NMDPRA, stating that he is siding with international traders and oil importers to frustrate local refining through the continued issuance of import licences for petroleum products.
Dangote also alleged that Ahmed was living beyond his means, noting that four of his children attend secondary schools in Switzerland at costs amounting to several million dollars. He said the spending raised questions about potential conflicts of interest and the integrity of regulatory oversight in the downstream petroleum sector.
Dangote expanded his claims on Monday, providing estimated figures for Ahmed’s children’s education abroad, raising further accusations of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.
According to the billionaire entrepreneur, the secondary schools the children attended for a duration of six years were Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, and La Garenne International School. He stated that the annual cost of tuition, airfare, and upkeep per child was $200,000, totalling $800,000 per year for his four children.
The businessman further explained that the total living expenses and air tickets per child over six years were $1.2 million, amounting to $4.8 million for all four children.
Overall, Dangote estimated that the combined cost of tuition and upkeep for all the children reached $5 million and an additional $2 million on tertiary education, including $210,000 for Faisal Farouk’s 2025 Harvard MBA.
Dangote submitted a petition on Tuesday through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, to the anti-graft agency, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), calling for Farouk’s arrest, investigation, and prosecution for allegedly living above his means as a public officer.
He urged the ICPC to act decisively, stressing that he remained available to provide evidence supporting his claims
