Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited, has intensified his criticism of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), calling for a thorough investigation and prosecution of its Chief Executive Officer, Farouk Ahmed. Speaking at a press conference at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, Dangote accused Ahmed of economic sabotage and actively undermining domestic refining efforts in Nigeria.

A core part of Dangote's allegations centers on Ahmed's personal finances, claiming that the NMDPRA chief paid an exorbitant $5 million for his four children's secondary education in Switzerland over a six-year period. Dangote questioned how many Nigerians could afford such an expenditure, especially when many in Ahmed's home state of Sokoto struggle with much smaller school fees. He insisted that such lavish spending raised serious concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the overall integrity of regulatory oversight within the downstream petroleum sector. Dangote urged bodies like the Code of Conduct Bureau to investigate the matter, asserting that if Ahmed denies the allegations, he would not only publish details of the payments but also take legal steps to compel the Swiss schools to disclose the financial records.

Dangote further accused the NMDPRA leadership of colluding with international traders and oil importers to frustrate local refining. He highlighted the issuance of import licenses for approximately 7.5 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) for the first quarter of 2026, despite significant domestic refining capacity. According to Dangote, this policy environment is causing modular refineries to struggle and pushing them to the brink of extinction. He characterized the volume of imports as