The Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, has broken his silence over the allegations of corruption and economic sabotage levelled against him by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, declaring that granting import licenses when domestic supply proves insufficient is not sabotage, but a legal duty if the industry regulator.
Ahmed whose defence came via a statement personally signed by him, said that the NMDPRA has a clear mandate to implement the Petroleum Industry Act’s reforms with transparency and without favour. He noted that reforming a sector characterized by decades of opacity, preferential licensing, and regulatory capture would necessarily antagonize entities whose business models depended on that very opacity.
Ahmed observed that these allegations were coming precisely when NMDPRA has enforced quality standards revealing substandard petroleum products in the market, implemented stricter licensing requirements, and insisted on transparent pricing mechanisms that eliminate opacity benefiting certain market players.
He said that the characterization of NMDPRA’s Q1 2026 import licensing approvals as “economic sabotage” fundamentally misunderstands the statutory mandate of the regulatory agency.
“Section 7 of the Petroleum Industry Act obligates us to ensure supply security and prevent scarcity. Granting import licenses when domestic supply proves insufficient is not sabotage,it is our legal duty. A single-source supply model, regardless of ownership, creates dangerous vulnerabilities that no responsible regulator can ignore.
“Since 2021, NMDPRA has published detailed monthly supply reports, established public data portals showing licensing and pricing information, and submitted to rigorous audits by international firms.
“We have reduced fuel queues through improved supply chain management, implemented depot-to-station tracking to eliminate diversion, and enforced quality standards uniformly without favor or discrimination. These reforms have naturally created friction with entities whose business models depended on regulatory opacity and preferential treatment.
“The reforms we have implemented at NMDPRA serve Nigeria’s long-term interests even when they create short-term friction with powerful stakeholders. I remain committed to this mandate, confident that history will vindicate principled regulation over expedient accommodation.
“Three decades of service to Nigeria’s petroleum sector have taught me that integrity is tested not in comfortable moments but when powerful interests demand compromise. These allegations represent such a test.
“I make no apology for prioritizing Nigeria’s interests over individual commercial preferences.This is precisely what regulatory independence requires and what my oath of office demands.
“I formally and publicly request the Code of Conduct Bureau to conduct comprehensive review of all my asset declarations since 1991, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to examine all my financial transactions and sources of income, and the National Assembly to exercise its oversight function regarding any allegations of regulatory compromise during my tenure.
“I will cooperate fully, provide all documentation, and answer all questions under oath if required. My only stipulation is that investigations be genuine, professional, and free from predetermined conclusions driven by commercial interests seeking regulatory favour,” he said.
Ahmed said that contrary to the perception in certain qyarters, he did not accept to lead the regulatory agency for personal enrichment.
“I accepted this responsibility because after three decades in Nigeria’s petroleum sector, I believed I understood both its potential and its pathologies well enough to contribute meaningfully to necessary reforms.
“Those reforms,transparency in licensing, quality assurance, supply chain integrity, regulatory independence—have created winners and losers. Entities that previously benefited from opacity naturally resist change.
“I understand this dynamic.What I cannot accept is the weaponization of my family’s privacy and the distortion of facts to serve commercial agendas.
If the price of regulatory independence is personal attacks and manufactured scandals, I accept that price.
“I will not be intimidated into abandoning statutory duties or granting preferential treatment to any entity, regardless of their economic power or media reach,” Ahmed said.
On the allegation that he spent $5 million on his children’s Swiss secondary education and therefore an evidence of corruption, Ahmed said thus requires factual correction as three of hus four children received substantial merit-based scholarships ranging from 40% to 65% of tuition costs, during their time in school. He said that verifiable information on this are available to any authorized investigation.
“I have submitted detailed asset declarations to the Code of Conduct Bureau every year since entering public service. Every income source, investment, and significant expenditure is documented and available for scrutiny.
“I hereby publicly authorize all educational institutions my children have attended to disclose financial records to authorized Nigerian government investigators, confident that such disclosure will reveal the substantial gap between allegation and reality;” he said
