Industrialist Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Group, has publicly outlined detailed allegations that Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), paid roughly $5 million for the secondary school education of his four children in Swiss boarding schools, a claim he says warrants full investigation by relevant authorities.
In a paid newspaper advertisement and media statement, Dangote alleged the total cost covered tuition, living expenses, airfare and related upkeep over six years, naming Swiss institutions including Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey and La Garenne International School as part of the alleged education history for the children, who he claims attended between 2019 and 2025.
Dangote’s breakdown attributed approximately $800,000 per year to tuition, travel and upkeep for all four students, plus additional costs tied to one child’s alleged postgraduate credentials. He framed the spending as inconsistent with the earnings of a government regulator and called for transparency, suggesting that the Code of Conduct Bureau or other anti-corruption agencies should scrutinise the matter, including matching income declarations with claimed expenditures.
The businessman also pledged that if Ahmed denies the allegations, he would pursue legal action to compel the schools to release payment records detailing all fees paid during the period. Dangote emphasised that his concern is not personal attack but accountability and preservation of public trust in regulatory institutions, especially as the downstream petroleum sector grapples with broader issues around governance, licensing and domestic refining policy.
As of this report, Ahmed and the NMDPRA have not issued a public response to Dangote’s detailed claims. Investigations from civil society and past petitions to anti-graft agencies on related concerns have intensified scrutiny of the regulator’s conduct, though official probes if any, have yet to be confirmed.
