Petrol price war turns dirty as Dangote attacks NMDPRA boss

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on Sunday alleged that the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, paid about $5m for the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland, calling for a full investigation and public explanation.

Dangote said Ahmed must appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal to explain to Nigerians how he was allegedly able to raise $5m for his children’s school fees, accusing him of economic sabotage.

Our correspondent reports that the NMDPRA dismissed a similar allegation when a group protested and alleged in July that Ahmed spent over $5.5m on the foreign education of his four children, insisting that the amount was grossly inconsistent with the earnings of a public official.

Reacting in July, the NMDPRA debunked all the allegations, describing them as an orchestrated smear campaign based on false allegations against Ahmed and its leadership.

Revisiting the allegation during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, Dangote spoke extensively on what he described as regulatory failures and alleged corruption in the downstream petroleum sector.

While stressing that he was conveying issues brought to his attention, Dangote insisted that the allegation, if left unanswered, would continue to undermine public trust and investor confidence.

He said, “I’ve actually had people making complaints about a regulator who has actually put his children in secondary school.

“And that secondary school education, which is six years, four of them cost Nigeria $5m. I mean, you cannot imagine somebody paying $5m for educating four children.”

Dangote said the alleged spending was difficult to reconcile with earnings from public service, adding that such a situation would ordinarily attract scrutiny from tax authorities.

“When you look at his income, his income does not match paying this kind of fee. And even if it’s me paying $5m for six years for my four children, the taxman has to look at my taxes and how much I pay,” he stated.

The billionaire businessman said he was particularly troubled by the contrast between the alleged expenditure and the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.

“From Sokoto, where he comes from, people are struggling to pay N100,000 for school fees. A lot of children are at home, not going to school, because of N100,000. I cannot understand why somebody who has worked all his life in government, and he has four children whose school fees he has paid $5m for,” he added.

Dangote emphasised that his own children did not attend secondary schools abroad, saying, “Even my own children, they didn’t go to those schools. My children went to a Nigerian secondary school. They didn’t go outside Nigeria to attend secondary school.

“I am not calling for his removal, but for a proper investigation. He should be required to account for his actions and demonstrate that he has not compromised his position to the detriment of Nigerians. What is happening amounts to economic sabotage.

“The Code of Conduct Bureau, or any other body deemed appropriate by the government, can investigate the matter. If he denies it, I will not only publish what he 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.”

He described the downstream petroleum sector as being under severe strain, alleging the presence of entrenched interests that profit from fuel imports at the expense of national development. I

“There are powerful interests in the oil sector. It is troubling that African countries continue to import refined products despite long-standing calls for value addition and domestic refining. The volume of imports being allowed into the country is unethical and does a disservice to Nigeria,” he added.

Dangote stressed the need for a clear separation between regulatory oversight and commercial interests, warning that allowing traders to influence regulation would undermine the integrity of the sector.

“The downstream sector must not be destroyed by personal interests. A trader should never be a regulator. 47 licences have been issued, yet no new refineries are being built because the environment is not conducive,” he said.

He maintained that Nigerians would ultimately benefit from local refining, even as fuel importers incur losses. Dangote said he would not relent in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy the benefits of domestic refining, noting that the company was working around the clock to ensure that recent reductions in the gantry price were fully reflected at the retail level.

When contacted for his reaction, the NMDPRA spokesman, George Ene-Ita, said, “For now, no comment.”

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