Engineer Farouk Ahmed has resigned from his position as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Ahmed’s resignation was announced in a statement on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President Information and Strategy.
The former NMDPRA boss’ resignation comes after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa Abuja, on Wednesday.
The meeting became necessary following a series of accusations by the Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
Dangote had petitioned the with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC to probe the NMDPRA boss over financial irregularities and his ability to sponsor his children to schools in Switzerland, despite being a public office holder.
Dangote requested the ICPC to detain, examine, and prosecute the NMDPRA head for supposedly living well beyond his lawful means as a public official.
The petition submitted to the office of ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu, SAN, claimed that Farouk spent over seven million dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, reportedly paid in advance for six months, with no legitimate source of income to support such spending.
“That Engr. Farouk Ahmed has grossly abused his office contrary to the extant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and, in doing so, has enmeshed himself in monumental corruption and unlawful spending of public funds running into millions of dollars.
“That Engr. Farouk Ahmed spent, without evidence of lawful means of income, a humongous amount of money, over 7 million dollars of public funds, for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront,” the petition read.
Dangote specified the four children and the Swiss schools they attend, as well as the amounts paid for each, in the petition so that the ICPC could verify the assertions.
He further stated that Farouk utilized the NMDPRA to embezzle and redirect public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions that fueled public discontent and recent protests by numerous parties.
According to the oil magnate, Farouk has spent his whole adult working life in the Nigerian public sector and, based on his legitimate earnings over the years, could not have acquired monies close to the reported seven million dollars used to fund his children’s international education.
“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment, and embezzlement are gross acts of corrupt practices for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” Dangote said.
He noted that if successfully prosecuted under the same section of the law, the offense carries a five-year prison sentence without the possibility of a fine.
The business mogul stated, “That Engr. Farouk Ahmed has corruptly enriched himself with taxpayers’ money meant for public consumption and diverted it into private uses.
“Any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate of the public officer or any other public officer shall be guilty of an offense and shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for five (5) years without option of fine.”
Dangote believes the ICPC and other anti-corruption agencies can effectively prosecute financial crimes and punish offenders.
He urged the Commission to investigate and prosecute Farouk if found culpable, as the matter is already public.
The petition stated that Dangote indicated that firm measures by the ICPC would maintain justice and safeguard the reputation of President Tinubu’s government.
He promised to offer proof to support his claims of corrupt enrichment, misuse of power, and impunity involving the NMDPRA leader.
During a press conference in Lagos on Sunday, Dangote made several allegations against the NMDPRA head, discussing regulatory shortcomings and purported corruption in the downstream oil industry.
He remarked that the accusations, if unaddressed, would persist in eroding public trust and investor confidence.
In June 2025, a group of protesters in Abuja made similar claims against Farouk, marching to the offices of the Attorney General of the Federation, the Code of Conduct Bureau, and the ICPC, insisting on his immediate resignation, and accusing him of transforming his office into a personal domain.
The NMDPRA, however, dismissed all the accusations, labeling them as a coordinated smear campaign rooted in misinformation against the Chief Executive Officer and his leadership.
Farouk was appointed in 2021 by former president Muhammadu Buhari to lead the regulatory agency created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
