President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of spending about $5 million on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland. Dangote called for a full investigation and public explanation.

The allegation was made during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, where Dangote also addressed what he described as regulatory failures and alleged corruption in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.

Dangote questioned the consistency of the alleged expenditure with the earnings of a career public servant, warning that unaddressed, it could undermine public trust and investor confidence in the sector.

“That secondary school education, which is six years for four children, allegedly cost about $5 million. You cannot imagine somebody paying $5 million just to educate four children in secondary school,” Dangote said.

He added that such spending would normally attract scrutiny from tax and anti-corruption authorities, emphasizing the stark contrast with the economic hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians, particularly in Ahmed’s home state of Sokoto.

“From Sokoto, where he comes from, people are struggling to pay ₦100,000 for school fees. A lot of children are at home, not going to school because of ₦100,000. I cannot understand why somebody who has worked all his life in government would have four children whose school fees amount to $5 million,” he said.

Dangote clarified that his remarks were not a personal attack but a call for accountability. He urged relevant authorities, including the Code of Conduct Bureau and the Code of Conduct Tribunal, to investigate.

“If he denies it, I will not only publish what was paid as tuition in those secondary schools, but I will also take legal steps to compel the schools to disclose the payments made by Farouk,” Dangote said.

The businessman also highlighted the broader issue of regulatory and commercial conflicts in the petroleum sector, warning against excessive fuel imports and overlapping interests that stifle domestic refining.

“A trader should never be a regulator. Forty-seven licences have been issued, yet no new refineries are being built because the environment is not conducive,” he said.

Dangote reiterated that his refinery is committed to ensuring recent reductions in gantry prices benefit consumers nationwide, despite challenges in the regulatory environment.

This is not the first allegation against Ahmed. In July, a group claimed he spent over $5.5 million on the foreign education of his four children, which NMDPRA dismissed as “false allegations” and a “smear campaign.”