Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has formally petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), seeking an investigation into alleged corruption involving the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk.
The petition, dated December 16 and submitted through Dangote’s legal counsel, James Onoja, SAN, urges the anti-graft agency to arrest, investigate and prosecute Farouk over claims that he has lived beyond his legitimate earnings as a public official.
The document was received by the office of the ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.
In the petition, Dangote alleged that the NMDPRA chief spent more than 7 million dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, paying fees upfront over a six-year period. According to the filing, the expenditure was allegedly made without evidence of lawful income sufficient to support such costs.
Dangote reportedly provided the names of the children, their respective schools in Switzerland, and the amounts allegedly paid for each, as part of the material submitted to support his claims.
The billionaire businessman further accused Farouk of using his position at the NMDPRA to allegedly divert public funds for personal benefit, actions he claimed have contributed to recent public protests and discontent involving various groups.
According to the petition, Farouk has spent his entire professional career in Nigeria’s public sector, and his cumulative earnings, Dangote alleged, could not reasonably account for the foreign education expenses attributed to him.
The petition cites alleged abuse of office, breach of the code of conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement, offences which it argues fall squarely within the ICPC’s statutory powers to investigate and prosecute under the ICPC Act.
Dangote called on the commission to act decisively, stressing that the matter is already in the public domain and requires transparent handling to uphold public trust and protect the image of the current administration.
He also pledged his willingness to provide evidence to substantiate the allegations of corruption, abuse of office and illicit enrichment against the NMDPRA managing director.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Ahmed Farouk nor the NMDPRA had issued an official response to the allegations.
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