Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has formally petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), calling for an investigation into the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk, over allegations of corruption and illicit enrichment.
According to reports, the petition, dated December 16, was submitted to the office of the ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN). In the document, Dangote urged the anti-graft agency to arrest, investigate, and prosecute Farouk, alleging that his lifestyle and spending patterns are inconsistent with his legitimate earnings as a public official.
Dangote specifically accused the NMDPRA boss of expending more than $7 million on the education of his four children in Switzerland, allegedly paying tuition fees upfront over a six-year period. The petition reportedly detailed the names of the children, the schools they attended, and the amounts paid for each, which Dangote said were provided to aid verification by investigators.
The industrialist further alleged that Farouk abused his position as head of the NMDPRA to divert public funds for personal use and private interests, actions he claimed had contributed to recent public discontent and protests across the country.
According to the petition, Farouk has spent his entire professional career in Nigeria’s public sector, and Dangote argued that his cumulative earnings could not reasonably account for such a massive expenditure. He alleged that the funds used for the foreign education of Farouk’s teenage children were unlawfully sourced from public coffers.
Dangote described the alleged actions as violations of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, abuse of office, corrupt enrichment, and embezzlement, offences he said fall squarely within the investigative and prosecutorial mandate of the ICPC under Section 19 of its enabling Act.
He noted that conviction under the law carries a penalty of up to five years imprisonment without an option of fine.
The petition emphasized the ICPC’s role, alongside other anti-corruption agencies, in tackling financial crimes and holding public officials accountable. Dangote urged the Commission to act decisively, stressing that courts have consistently punished offenders where prima facie cases are established.
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Given the public interest surrounding the allegations, Dangote said he expects the ICPC to pursue the matter thoroughly in the interest of justice and transparency, adding that decisive action would help safeguard public trust and uphold the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
