The ongoing tension in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector intensified on Sunday after the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, made fresh allegations against the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed, accusing him of financial impropriety and economic sabotage.

Dangote alleged that Ahmed paid about $5 million in tuition fees for the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland and called for a full investigation and public explanation of the source of the funds.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, the billionaire industrialist said Ahmed should appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal or any other relevant authority to account for the alleged expenditure, which he described as inconsistent with earnings from public service.

According to Dangote, the allegation, if left unaddressed, could further erode public trust and investor confidence in Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory framework.

“I have had people bringing complaints about a regulator who allegedly spent $5 million to educate his four children in secondary school over six years,” Dangote said. “It is difficult to imagine how someone in public service could afford such an amount without attracting serious scrutiny.”

He argued that such spending, if proven, would ordinarily trigger investigations by tax authorities, noting that even private business owners would be required to justify the source of such funds.

“When you look at his income, it does not align with paying this kind of fee. Even if I were to pay $5 million for my children’s education, the tax authorities would certainly ask questions,” Dangote stated.

The Dangote Group president also contrasted the alleged expenditure with the financial realities faced by many Nigerians, particularly in northern communities.

“Many families are struggling to pay N100,000 in school fees, and children are staying out of school because of that amount. It is troubling that someone who has spent his career in government service is alleged to have paid $5 million for secondary school education,” he said.

Dangote added that his own children attended secondary schools in Nigeria, stressing that he was not calling for Ahmed’s removal but for transparency and accountability.

“I am only asking for a proper investigation. He should be required to explain himself and show that he has not compromised his office to the detriment of Nigerians. What is happening amounts to economic sabotage,” he said.

He further warned that if the allegation was denied without investigation, he would release details of the alleged tuition payments and pursue legal steps to compel the schools involved to disclose records of payments linked to Ahmed.

The allegation is not new. In July, a group had similarly accused the NMDPRA chief of spending over $5.5 million on the foreign education of his children, claims the agency dismissed at the time as false and malicious.

Reacting then, the NMDPRA described the accusations as an orchestrated smear campaign against Ahmed and the authority’s leadership.

Beyond the personal allegations, Dangote used the briefing to criticise what he described as deep-rooted regulatory failures and vested interests in the downstream petroleum sector. He accused powerful actors of benefiting from fuel imports at the expense of domestic refining and national development.

“It is troubling that African countries, including Nigeria, still rely heavily on imported refined products. The volume of imports being allowed into the country is unethical and does a disservice to the economy,” he said.

He called for a strict separation between regulatory oversight and commercial interests, warning that allowing traders to influence regulation would undermine the integrity of the sector.

“A trader should never be a regulator. Despite the issuance of 47 refinery licences, no new refineries are being built because the environment is not conducive,” Dangote added.

He maintained that local refining would ultimately benefit Nigerians, even if fuel importers incur losses, assuring that the Dangote Refinery was working round the clock to ensure recent reductions in gantry prices were reflected at retail outlets nationwide.

When contacted for a response on Sunday, the NMDPRA spokesman, Mr George Ene-Ita, declined to comment, saying only: “For now, no comment.”