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The ongoing petrol price battle has taken a dramatic turn after billionaire businessman and President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, publicly accused the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of allegedly spending about $5 million on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland.
Dangote made the allegation during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, insisting that the matter warrants a full investigation and public explanation, according to Punch. He said Ahmed should appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal to explain how a public servant could allegedly afford such expenses, describing the situation as economic sabotage if proven true.
“I’ve had people make complaints about a regulator who put his four children in secondary school, and the six-year education allegedly cost $5 million,” Dangote said. “When you look at his income, it does not match this kind of spending.”
The business mogul stressed that even private individuals would typically attract tax scrutiny for such expenditures, adding that the alleged figures are difficult to reconcile with earnings from public service. He also contrasted the claims with the economic hardship faced by many Nigerians.
“People are struggling to pay ₦100,000 school fees. Many children are out of school. I don’t understand how someone who has worked all his life in government can allegedly pay $5 million for school fees,” he said.
Dangote noted that his own children attended secondary school in Nigeria, not abroad, and clarified that he was not calling for Ahmed’s removal but demanding transparency and accountability.
“If he denies it, I will publish the tuition fees and take legal steps to compel the schools to disclose the payments,” he warned.
The allegation is not new. The NMDPRA had previously dismissed similar claims in July, describing them as a coordinated smear campaign against its leadership.
Beyond the personal accusation, Dangote used the briefing to criticise what he described as deep regulatory failures and entrenched interests within the downstream petroleum sector, accusing powerful players of prioritising fuel imports over local refining.
“The volume of fuel imports being allowed into Nigeria is unethical and against national interest,” he said, warning that regulators must not double as traders.
According to Dangote, despite dozens of licences being issued, no meaningful refinery development is taking place because the operating environment remains hostile.
When contacted for a response, NMDPRA spokesperson George Ene-Ita said, “For now, no comment.”
As tensions escalate, the petrol price war shows no sign of easing, with regulators, refiners, and importers now locked in an increasingly public and uncomfortable standoff.
