Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has formally asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate former Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) chief executive, Farouk Ahmed, over alleged abuse of office, corrupt enrichment and financial misconduct.
Dangote had earlier submitted the same petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in December 2025 but withdrew it on January 7 before redirecting the case to the EFCC. His lawyers described the move as strategic, aimed at fast-tracking a possible prosecution.
In a petition addressed to EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, and signed by lead counsel, Dr O.J. Onoja (SAN), Dangote alleged that Ahmed lived far beyond his legitimate earnings as a career public servant.
Central to the claims is an assertion that Ahmed spent over $7 million on the foreign education of his four children at elite Swiss schools within six years—an amount Dangote said could not be justified by Ahmed’s official income.
The petition urged the EFCC to launch a comprehensive probe into alleged “financial misconduct, violation of the code of conduct for public officers, and related offences.”
Onoja argued that the anti-graft agency was well positioned to handle the case and that a prosecution would serve as a strong deterrent to other public officials.
The allegations first surfaced publicly in December, when Dangote accused Ahmed of financial impropriety, citing annual tuition, travel and upkeep costs of about $200,000 per child, alongside an estimated $2 million for tertiary education, including more than $200,000 for a 2025 Harvard MBA programme.
Ahmed resigned as NMDPRA chief on December 17, 2025, following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu. The petition is now before the EFCC, while Ahmed has yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
