Adeyanju Seeks Probe Of NMDPRA CEO Over $5m Allegation, Flags Dangote Monopoly

Lawyer and rights activist Deji Adeyanju, has called on Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies to urgently investigate allegations that the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, spent about $5m on his children’s secondary school education in Switzerland.

Adeyanju made the call on Wednesday noting that if proven, it raises serious questions about integrity and accountability within Nigeria’s oil and gas regulatory framework.

“The ongoing dispute between Aliko Dangote and the Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, raises questions about the integrity of the oil sector in Nigeria,” Adeyanju said.

“I call on all the anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria to urgently investigate the allegation that the CEO of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, allegedly expended approximately $5,000,000 on his children’s secondary school education in Switzerland. If true, there is no credible explanation as to how such an expense could be lawfully sustained on earnings from public service,” he added.

Adeyanju, however, cautioned against viewing the controversy solely as a fight for transparency, arguing that the dispute between the NMDPRA boss and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is fundamentally about market control in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

“I must quickly point out that the controversy before us is not evidence that Aliko Dangote has suddenly become a social crusader who is acting in the interest of the nation,” he said.

“This dispute is about market control and monopoly. Dangote’s real grievance is not regulation per se, but regulation that prevents him from dominating the oil sector he has only recently entered.”

He warned the Federal Government against bowing to pressure that could weaken regulatory institutions, insisting that state authority must not be undermined by what he described as “economic blackmail”.

“The Federal Government must therefore resist the temptation to collapse state authority under the weight of public sentiment or economic blackmail. The government must stand firmly behind its regulators, provided they act within the law,” Adeyanju stated.

Referencing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), Adeyanju said the law was designed to promote competition and prevent monopolistic practices in the sector.

“Nigeria’s petroleum sector is governed by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which was deliberately designed to promote a willing buyer–willing seller regime and a competitive free market, not private sector absolutism. Dangote’s posture, unfortunately, appears hostile to this,” he said.

Adeyanju also questioned pricing by the Dangote Refinery, arguing that locally refined petroleum products should not be more expensive than imported fuel.

“If Dangote genuinely desires that the importation of fuel should reduce and expects Nigerians to patronize locally refined products, he should lower his prices,” he said.

“It makes no sense that petroleum products refined in Ibeju-Lekki are more expensive than fuel imported from as far away as Argentina or Brazil.”

He further noted concerns, which he described as “contestable,” over allegations that products from the refinery were sub-standard.

“It is even more concerning, although contestable, that multiple users have alleged that his petroleum products are sub-standard,” Adeyanju said.

The activist stressed that private investment decisions should not be used as justification to transfer financial risks to consumers.

“No one compelled Dangote to build a single-line refinery of this scale. Investment decisions carry risk, and the burden of those risks cannot be transferred to Nigerians through higher prices or reduced choice simply because investors must be paid,” he said.

“Patriotism does not mean Nigerians should buy less and pay more for products produced locally.”

Adeyanju called for a comprehensive investigation into the entire controversy, noting that the dispute between Dangote and the NMDPRA leadership was not new.

“Finally, I must state again that the disagreement between these two men is not sudden. They have been engaged in a running battle for some time,” he said.

“At this point, the Federal Government ought to conduct a holistic investigation into the entire controversy to examine not only allegations against the regulator, but also whether bribes were offered and refused,” Adeyanju said.