Africa’s richest man and Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has escalated the widely discussed Faroukgate scandal by formally submitting a corruption petition against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The petition, filed through Dangote’s legal team at the EFCC headquarters, comes days after the withdrawal of a similar complaint from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)—a move described as strategic and aimed at fast-tracking prosecution.
In the petition signed by lead counsel Dr. O.J. Onoja, SAN, Dangote urged the anti-graft agency to investigate allegations of abuse of office, corrupt enrichment and financial impropriety against the former petroleum regulator and to prosecute him if found culpable.
“The commission is strategically positioned, alongside sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and corruption-related offences,” Onoja stated, citing recent judicial precedents to support the call for decisive action.
The petition further appealed to the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, to ensure a thorough investigation of the allegations, stressing that swift handling of the matter would serve as a deterrent to other public officers with corrupt tendencies.
“This commission’s firm resolve in treating this matter with dispatch is imperative, expedient and necessary to reinforce accountability in public service,” the petition added.
The latest development reinforces Dangote’s stated commitment to transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
It will be recalled that on December 14, 2025, Dangote publicly raised concerns over what he described as suspicious financial dealings by Ahmed, alleging that the former regulator lived far beyond his legitimate earnings.
According to the petition, four of Ahmed’s children reportedly attended elite secondary schools in Switzerland for six years each—an expense Dangote estimated at about $200,000 per child annually, amounting to roughly $5 million in total.
The schools listed include Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, and La Garenne International School. Dangote further alleged that an additional $2 million was spent on tertiary education, including $210,000 for a 2025 Harvard MBA programme for one of the children.
“Nigerians deserve to know the source of these funds,” Dangote stated, noting the sharp contrast between such expenditures and the struggles of many parents in Ahmed’s home state of Sokoto to afford basic school fees.
The petition calls for a comprehensive and transparent investigation, insisting that accountability is critical to restoring public trust in Nigeria’s regulatory institutions, particularly within the petroleum sector.
