The former Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk, has rejected corruption allegations brought against him by the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, describing them as “wild and spurious” and insisting that the claims should be tested only through formal investigation.
Farouk’s response comes amid mounting public attention following Dangote’s petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in which the businessman accused the NMDPRA boss of actions amounting to economic sabotage and regulatory misconduct.
In a disclaimer personally signed by him, Farouk denied authorship of a statement circulating online and said he deliberately chose not to engage Dangote in the media.
“My attention has been drawn to a purported response I was said to have made on the recent allegations against my person. I hereby state categorically that the so-called statement did not emanate from me,” he said.
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He acknowledged the gravity of the allegations and the public reaction they have triggered but said restraint was necessary, given the sensitivity of the petroleum regulatory space.
“While I am aware of the wild and spurious allegations made against me and my family and the frenzy it has generated, as a regulator of a sensitive industry, I have opted not to engage in public brickbat,” Farouk stated.
Farouk said Dangote’s decision to formally petition the ICPC was the appropriate course of action, stressing that it would allow the matter to be examined dispassionately.
“Thankfully, the person behind the allegations has taken it to a formal investigative institution. I believe that would provide an opportunity to distil the issues objectively and to clear my name,” he added.
Dangote, Africa’s richest man, had on Sunday accused Farouk of economic sabotage, alleging that regulatory decisions under his leadership were undermining Nigeria’s push for domestic refining and energy self-sufficiency.
The dispute between the two men dates back to July 2024, when Farouk publicly claimed that locally refined petroleum products, including those produced by the Dangote Refinery, were inferior to imported fuels.
Dangote strongly disputed the claim, conducting a public diesel quality test from his refinery during an oversight visit by federal lawmakers, a move widely seen as an attempt to challenge the regulator’s position and defend the credibility of his multi-billion-dollar refinery investment.
With the matter now before the ICPC, the controversy has shifted from media exchanges to institutional accountability, placing both regulatory authority and private-sector influence under renewed public scrutiny.
