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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday evening summoned the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, to the Presidential Villa in Abuja amid a public feud with billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote over alleged sabotage and corruption in the downstream petroleum sector.
The closed-door meeting, lasting under 30 minutes, came days after Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest man and helmsman of the Dangote Refinery, unleashed a barrage of accusations against Ahmed, claiming the regulator’s policies were deliberately stifling local refining efforts to favour importers.
Dangote fired the first salvo on Sunday during a press conference at his $20 billion Lekki refinery, declaring: “The continued granting of import licences is economic sabotage – it’s killing our drive for self-sufficiency in fuel production.”
He accused the NMDPRA of partnering with foreign traders to undermine domestic operators, adding a personal sting: Ahmed’s lavish lifestyle, including millions spent on schooling four children in elite Swiss secondary schools.
By Monday, Dangote doubled down, estimating $5 million on secondary education and upkeep over six years, plus $2 million for tertiary studies – including a purported $210,000 Harvard MBA slot for one child in 2025. “No public servant earns enough for this without foul play,” Dangote charged, framing it as misappropriation of public funds.
The clash peaked on Tuesday when Dangote’s lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ogwu Onoja, petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). The petition to ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu demanded Ahmed’s arrest, listing the children’s names, Swiss schools, and exact costs for probe, alleging over $7 million spent “without lawful income evidence.”
Ahmed arrived at the Villa around 5:30 p.m., emerging stone-faced and silent after the brief meeting with Tinubu. Brushing past waiting journalists, he offered no comment on the firestorm or the meeting’s details.
As of press time, neither the Presidency nor the NMDPRA had released a statement on the meeting’s purpose or resolutions, leaving the nation watching for fallout in the battle for cleaner, homegrown fuel.
