Femi Ashekun/
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has released detailed claims alleging that Farouk Ahmed, chief executive officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), spent more than $5 million on the foreign secondary education of his four children in Switzerland.
The allegations were published on Tuesday in a paid newspaper advert, following Dangote’s earlier claim that the NMDPRA boss had paid about $5 million in school fees abroad, an action he described as “economic sabotage and corruption”.
Ahmed has yet to publicly respond to the claims.
In the advert, Dangote listed the names of the children as Faisal Farouk, Farouk Jr., Ashraf Farouk and Farhana Farouk.
He stated that the four attended Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey and La Garenne International School, respectively, each for a period of six years.
According to the breakdown provided, annual tuition, air tickets and upkeep were estimated at about $200,000 per child, amounting to roughly $800,000 per year for the four children. Dangote further claimed that total living expenses and air tickets over six years amounted to about $1.2 million per child, putting the combined cost for the four children at approximately $4.8 million. He estimated the overall cost of tuition and upkeep at about $5 million.
The advert also included claims relating to tertiary education, stating that one of the children, Faisal Farouk, completed an MBA at Harvard University in 2025, with tuition reportedly costing $150,000 and an additional $60,000 for upkeep, travel and other expenses.
“Facts don’t lie,” the advert concluded, arguing that Nigerians deserved to know the sources of such funds paid by a public official, particularly at a time when many families struggle to afford basic education costs.
The allegations come amid heightened tensions between Dangote and regulators in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Dangote has in recent months openly criticised regulatory agencies, including the NMDPRA, accusing them of actions that undermine local refining and investment, especially in relation to the operations of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, is responsible for regulating Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations, including pricing frameworks, licensing and market oversight. The agency plays a central role in implementing reforms intended to improve transparency and efficiency in the sector.
Anti-corruption advocates note that while public officials are entitled to private lives, allegations concerning large foreign expenditures often raise public interest questions in Nigeria, where asset declaration laws and codes of conduct require public officers to account for their wealth.
Under Nigerian law, allegations of corruption require investigation by relevant authorities and do not in themselves amount to proof of wrongdoing.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Ahmed nor the NMDPRA had issued an official response to the published claims.
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