$5m School Fees: Dangote challenges NMDPRA boss to clear his name

Founder and President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, of corruption, alleging that he spent about $5 million on secondary school education for his children in Switzerland.

Dangote made the allegation on Sunday during a media briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lekki, Lagos, describing the alleged expenditure as inconsistent with the earnings of a public servant and dangerous to public confidence in regulatory institutions.

According to the billionaire industrialist, the amount was allegedly spent over six years on the secondary education of four children, a figure he said could not reasonably be explained by income from public service alone.

“I’ve had people complaining about a regulator who put his children in secondary school, and that secondary school education, which is six years, four of them cost Nigeria five million dollars,” Dangote said.

He contrasted the claim with his personal experience, noting that his own children attended secondary school in Nigeria.

“My children went to secondary school in Nigeria. They did not go outside Nigeria to attend secondary school,” he added.

Dangote questioned how a public official could afford such fees if public resources were being properly managed, stressing that taxpayers deserve accountability.

“This is a system where some of us are taxpayers. When people are complaining, we also complain, because when I pay tax, I want to see my money put to use, not stolen,” he said.

“I don’t know why the authority chief executive, Mallam Farouk, has four children educated in Switzerland at the cost of five million dollars for secondary school education alone, not university,” he alleged.

He said the claim raised serious concerns about asset declaration, conflicts of interest and the integrity of regulatory oversight in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.

“The man must come and explain to Nigerians how he paid five million dollars for six years of his four children’s education,” Dangote said, adding that such spending was far beyond what most Nigerians, including senior professionals, could afford.

Dangote also referred to reports that one of the children had completed university education abroad, noting that such expenses further deepened concerns about the source of funds.

“I know that one of them just finished Harvard. I want to see what kind of system we are operating where people are busy destroying a country and taking money from government, because their income does not match this kind of spending,” he said.

Calling for due process, Dangote said Ahmed should not be sacked immediately but must be investigated by appropriate authorities to clear his name.

“The Code of Conduct Bureau, or any other body deemed appropriate by the government, should investigate the matter. Let them see whether his income matches the five million dollars paid as school fees for six years for four children. This is without tickets,” he said.

“He does not need to be sacked. Let him come and clear that he has not compromised his positions in government at the cost of Nigerians.”

Dangote further contrasted the allegation with the realities facing ordinary Nigerians, many of whom struggle to pay modest school fees.

“From where he comes from, people are struggling to pay ₦100,000 for secondary school fees. Many children are at home because their parents cannot afford that amount,” he said.

He warned that he would pursue legal action if the allegation is denied, saying he would take steps to compel the Swiss schools involved to disclose payment records.

“If he denies it, I will not only publish what he paid as tuition in those secondary schools, but I will also sue the schools to disclose how much he paid for the entire period,” Dangote said, adding that Nigerians deserve transparency.

As of the time of filing this report, Farouk Ahmed has yet to respond to the allegation.