ICPC confirms receipt of Dangote’s petition against NMDPRA chief executive

Mr Dangote called for ICPC’s actions against Mr Farouk, the chief executive of NMDPRA, over alleged corruption.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed receiving a petition from Aliko Dangote against the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed.

“The ICPC wishes to state that the petition will be duly investigated,” the agency’s spokesperson, John Odey, wrote in a terse statement on Tuesday.

The acknowledgement came hours after Mr Dangote, who is the President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, submitted the petition to the ICPC on Tuesday.

In the last two days, Mr Dangote had accused Mr Ahmed of corruption and economic sabotage, an escalation of their long running dispute over NMDPRA’s continued issuance of licences to import refined petroleum into Nigeria.

Through the petition, Mr Dangote escalated his battle with Mr Farouk regarding the NMDPRA’s continued granting of licences to import refined petroleum into Nigeria. Mr Dangote has expressed concerns that the practice poses threats to domestic refining and the larger Nigerian economy.

On Sunday, speaking at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, he accused Mr Farouk of economic sabotage, alleging that the NMDPRA CEO colluded with international traders and oil importers through the ongoing issuance of import licences.

Mr Dangote also raised concerns about Mr Farouk’s personal expenditures, highlighting that four of his children attend private schools in Switzerland, which he said could indicate a conflict of interest.

On Monday, he expanded his allegations, accusing Mr Farouk of corruption and misappropriation of public funds, providing detailed figures for his children’s education abroad.

According to him, Mr Farouk spent about $5 million on secondary education and upkeep over six years, and an additional $2 million on tertiary education, including $210,000 for Faisal Farouk’s 2025 Harvard MBA.

The petition

Mr Dangote submitted the petition through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), calling for Mr Farouk’s arrest, investigation, and prosecution for allegedly living above his means as a public officer.

The petition, addressed to ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu, alleged that Mr Farouk “spent without evidence of lawful means of income amounting to over $7 million for the education of his four children” in Switzerland.

It provided the children’s names, schools, and specific amounts for verification.

Dangote further accused Mr Farouk of using his position to embezzle public funds, prompting protests from civil society groups.

He cited section 19 of the ICPC Act, which empowers the commission to investigate and prosecute corrupt practices, noting that a successful prosecution could result in a five-year jail term without an option of fine.

He urged the ICPC to act decisively, stressing that he remained available to provide evidence supporting his claims.

Efforts to reach Mr Farouk on Tuesday were unsuccessful. George Ene-Ita, Head of Public Affairs at NMDPRA, told PREMIUM TIMES that the agency had “no comment” on the allegations.