The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, has rejected allegations of corruption levelled against him, insisting that his finances and conduct in office can withstand full scrutiny.
Ahmed’s response, issued in a statement on Tuesday, followed repeated public accusations by billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote and the formal petition submitted earlier in the day to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the NMDPRA boss of illicit enrichment and abuse of office.
Dangote had alleged that Ahmed spent millions of dollars on the education of his children abroad, claiming the expenditure was inconsistent with his earnings as a public servant. He further accused the NMDPRA chief of using his regulatory position to advance private interests, particularly in relation to petroleum import licensing.
In his statement titled “A Question of Integrity”, Ahmed dismissed the claims as misleading and politically motivated, arguing that they ignored his more than 30 years of service in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
He traced his career to 1991, when he joined the then Department of Petroleum Resources through the civil service examination, rising through technical and management roles to become Chief Executive of the NMDPRA in 2021. He said his progression was based on merit, technical competence, and regulatory experience rather than political patronage.
Addressing the education funding allegations directly, Ahmed denied spending $5 million on his children’s schooling in Switzerland. He said three of his four children received merit-based scholarships covering between 40 and 65 per cent of tuition, while additional support came from family education trust funds established by his late father. He maintained that his personal contributions were drawn from decades of savings, lawful earnings, and family resources.
Ahmed noted that his annual compensation as NMDPRA CEO—about ₦48 million including allowances—is publicly disclosed in audited reports, and said he has consistently filed asset declarations with the Code of Conduct Bureau since entering public service. He stated that he had authorised relevant schools to release financial records to investigators to clarify the matter.
The NMDPRA chief suggested that the allegations were linked to regulatory actions taken by the authority, including stricter enforcement of fuel quality standards, tighter licensing requirements, and measures aimed at increasing transparency in pricing and supply.
He defended the continued issuance of import licences for petroleum products, describing it as a statutory obligation under the Petroleum Industry Act to ensure supply security and prevent shortages. According to him, reliance on a single supplier, regardless of ownership, poses risks that a responsible regulator cannot ignore.
Ahmed said since 2021 the authority has published regular supply data, strengthened monitoring of fuel distribution, reduced diversion, and subjected its operations to external audits—reforms he admitted have generated resistance from vested interests.
Inviting further scrutiny, Ahmed publicly called on the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the National Assembly to investigate his asset declarations, financial transactions, and regulatory decisions. He said he would cooperate fully with any credible and impartial inquiry.
The NMDPRA chief stressed that he would not be pressured into compromising regulatory independence or granting preferential treatment, adding that personal attacks would not deter him from carrying out his statutory duties.
The dispute between Ahmed and Dangote has intensified in recent weeks amid disagreements over fuel importation and market regulation, with the latest exchange unfolding hours after Dangote’s petition to the ICPC seeking Ahmed’s investigation and prosecution.