By Udeme Akpan
THE Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, yesterday, dismissed allegations levelled against him by President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote.
He, however, explained that his childre’s education overseas was funded mainly through scholarship, family support and savings over the years.
Dangote had called for an investigation and prosecution of the NMDPRA boss, accusing him of economic sabotage.
However, Mr Ahmed, in a statement, dismissed all allegations against him saying he was not afraid of any probe.
The statement reads: “The allegation that I spent $5 million on my children’s Swiss secondary education is presented as evidence of corruption inconsistent with my official income. This requires factual correction.
“Three of my four children received substantial merit-based scholarships ranging from 40% to 65% of tuition costs, verifiable information are available to any authorised investigation. My late father, a Northern Nigerian businessman, who established education trust fund for his grandchildren before his 2018 passing, provided additional support consistent with our cultural traditions of collective family investment in education.
“When scholarships, family contributions, and my savings accumulated over three decades are properly accounted for. My personal financial obligation was entirely consistent with someone of my professional standing and length of service. My annual compensation as NMDPRA CEO, approximately N48 million including all allowances, is publicly available in our audited reports.
“Combined with legitimate savings from decades of federal employment, cooperative investments available to all civil servants, and family resources, funding my children’s education required neither corruption nor living beyond my means. I have submitted detailed asset declarations to the Code of Conduct Bureau every year since entering public service.
“Recent allegations regarding the financing of my children’s education have necessitated this response—not because I fear scrutiny of my finances, which I welcome, but because the timing and nature of these claims demand context that only three decades of public service can provide.
“Since 1991, I have dedicated my professional life to Nigeria’s petroleum sector, rising through merit and competence from a junior engineer in the Department of Petroleum Resources to my current position as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA.
“This journey, spanning many administrations, economic cycles, and countless regulatory challenges, has been guided by a single unwavering principle: The national interest of Nigeria transcends all personal considerations. A Career Built on Technical Excellence
“My entry into petroleum administration came through Nigeria’s competitive civil service examination, not political patronage. I spent my formative years in the technical divisions, crude oil marketing, gas supply monitoring, and downstream operations
“These are divisions, where decisions are measured not by political expediency but by engineering precision and market realities.
“By 2012, I had risen to General Manager of the Crude Oil Marketing Division, overseeing Nigeria’s most critical revenue stream during a period of unprecedented global oil price volatility. Those years taught me that regulatory integrity is not merely about following rules, but about understanding that every decision affects millions of Nigerians who depend on affordable, reliable energy.
“When I became Deputy Director in 2015, inheriting responsibility for downstream regulation amid fuel scarcity and pricing controversies, I learned that principled positions often create powerful opponents.
My appointment as NMDPRA Chief Executive in 2021 came with a clear mandate: implement the Petroleum Industry Act’s reforms with transparency and without favor. I accepted this responsibility understanding its implications.
“Reforming a sector characterized by decades of opacity, preferential licensing, and regulatory capture would necessarily antagonize entities whose business models depended on that very opacity.”
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