Farouk Ahmed Resigns as NMDPRA Boss Amid Dangote’s Corruption Allegations

Farouk Ahmed has resigned as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) following corruption allegations levelled against him by Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.

The development was confirmed on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed that Ahmed’s exit coincided with the departure of Gbenga Komolafe as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

According to Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as replacements. The president requested expedited screening of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Saidu Mohammed as the new head of the NMDPRA, describing both nominees as seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.

Ahmed’s resignation came hours after he paid a visit to President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. Dressed in traditional attire, the Bauchi-born former regulator spent less than 30 minutes at the Villa before departing. He declined to address journalists afterward, saying it was already past working hours. While the purpose of the visit was not officially disclosed, it occurred amid escalating controversy surrounding his leadership of the downstream regulator.

The resignation follows a public confrontation between Ahmed and Dangote, which culminated in a formal petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). In the petition, submitted through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, Dangote urged the anti-graft agency to arrest, investigate, and prosecute Ahmed over allegations of corruption and financial impropriety.

Dangote accused the former NMDPRA chief of living far beyond his legitimate means, alleging that four of his children attended secondary schools in Switzerland at a cost of about $5 million over six years. He further claimed that an additional $2 million was spent on tertiary education, including an alleged $210,000 paid for a 2025 Harvard MBA programme for one of the children. The billionaire industrialist reportedly provided details of the children’s names and the schools they attended, calling on the ICPC to take decisive action in line with Nigerian law.

In the petition, Dangote said the matter was of public interest and urged the commission to act swiftly to uphold accountability and protect the image of President Tinubu’s administration. The ICPC has since acknowledged receipt of the petition and assured the public that the allegations would be duly investigated.

The controversy deepened on Sunday when Dangote accused the NMDPRA leadership under Ahmed of economic sabotage. Speaking at a press conference at the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, he alleged that regulatory actions, particularly the continued issuance of import licences for petroleum products, were undermining local refining capacity and entrenching Nigeria’s dependence on fuel imports.

Dangote further claimed that the regulator was working in the interest of international traders and oil importers at the expense of domestic refiners, an accusation that intensified public scrutiny of Ahmed’s stewardship of the agency.

Ahmed has not publicly responded to the allegations since his resignation, as attention now shifts to investigations by anti-corruption authorities and the confirmation process for new leadership at the country’s petroleum regulatory agencies.