Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has spoken out on the scandal surrounding Farouk Ahmed, the former CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA
Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, accused Ahmed of spending over $5 million on his four children’s secondary school education in Switzerland.
During a news conference in Lagos, Dangote publicly demanded a comprehensive investigation into the matter, claiming that the claimed expenditure contradicted Ahmed’s status as a public servant and raised questions about transparency and integrity in public service.
Following intense public scrutiny of the charges, Ahmed resigned as head of the NMDPRA.
Obi responded to the revelation in a post on his verified X handle on Monday, describing it as a matter of public trust and moral obligation.
The reported amount amounts to approximately ₦7.5 billion at current currency rates, raising ethical problems in a country with over 18 million out-of-school children.
“At current exchange rates, $5 million is approximately ₦7.5 billion,” he said, adding that “in a country with over 18 million out-of-school children—the highest number in the world—this revelation inevitably raises questions of proportionality, public trust, and moral responsibility.”
Obi emphasized that while investing in children’s education is commendable, the scale of the alleged spending, when linked to a public office holder, demands public scrutiny.
“Education is one of the greatest legacies a parent can give a child,” he said. “The issue here, therefore, is not education itself, but scale, context, and moral consequence, especially when such spending is attributed to a public official in a country with extreme inequality.”
The former Anambra State governor proposes investing ₦7.5 billion in Nigeria’s education industry to improve access to quality education locally.
“With ₦7.5 billion, it would be possible to build 25 school blocks, at ₦35 million per block, fully covering construction, furnishing, and basic learning infrastructure,” Obi told CNN.
He stated that such a project might educate approximately 6,000 pupils each year, employ 450 teachers, and be self-sustaining through investment returns.
“In effect, the system becomes permanently self-funding, without touching the original capital,” he said.
Obi also stated that investing in education at home would have far-reaching consequences, adding that “an educated society produces better governance, safer communities, stronger institutions, and a more dignified nation.”
He also argued that Nigeria’s population of about 240 million people includes a small number of individuals with access to extraordinary resources largely derived from public office.
“It is reasonable to assume that there are at least 2,400 individuals—just 0.0001 percent of the population—who have access to extraordinary resources largely derived from public office,” Obi said.
Obi stated that if such investments were made statewide, the government could build a self-sustaining education ecosystem capable of educating millions of students each year.
According to him, constructing 25 school blocks in 2,400 places would result in approximately 60,000 school blocks nationwide, delivering instruction to an estimated 14.4 million pupils each year.
He stated that such a system would generate tremendous employment prospects, with over 1.08 million teachers employed across the country.
Obi insisted that the effort would not be a one-time intervention but rather a long-term, self-sustaining education structure capable of stabilizing communities and promoting national growth.
“This would not be a one-off intervention but a national, self-sustaining education ecosystem, capable of virtually eliminating Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis while creating massive employment and stabilizing communities across the country,” he said.
He stated that under such circumstances, national conversation will move from access to education to quality, innovation, and excellence.
Obi stated that the scandal surrounding former Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority chief executive Farouk Ahmed had far-reaching repercussions beyond the individual involved.
“The Farouk controversy, therefore, is not merely about one man. It is a mirror held up to our collective conscience—asking whether privilege will continue to coexist comfortably with abandonment, or whether responsibility will finally rise to meet opportunity,” he stated.
Obi, quoting the ancient philosopher Plato, warned that ignoring education would have far-reaching effects for society.
“As Plato warned centuries ago, when education is neglected, the damage does not stop with children—it spreads to everything else,” he said.
