Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Refinery and Chairman of Dangote Group, has released further details of his allegation concerning the foreign education expenses of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed.
In a document that surfaced publicly on Tuesday and was personally signed by Dangote, the billionaire businessman alleged that Ahmed spent about $5 million on the secondary and tertiary education of his four children abroad, particularly in Switzerland and the United States.
The disclosure comes less than 24 hours after Dangote called for a probe into Ahmed, accusing him of living beyond his legitimate income.
According to the document, Ahmed’s children allegedly attended some of the world’s most expensive schools, including Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey and La Garenne International School, with each child reportedly spending around six years in these institutions.
The document provided a cost breakdown estimating tuition fees, upkeep, air travel and living expenses at about $200,000 per child annually. This amounts to roughly $800,000 per year for four children and an estimated $4.8 million over six years, with total secondary education expenses put at about $5 million.
Dangote further alleged that one of Ahmed’s children, identified as Faisal Farouk, recently completed an MBA programme at Harvard University, with tuition reportedly costing $150,000 and an additional $60,000 for upkeep and related expenses, bringing the total to about $210,000 in 2025.
As of the time of filing this report, Engr. Farouk Ahmed has not publicly responded to the renewed allegations, and no official statement has been issued by the NMDPRA. However, when similar claims surfaced months ago, the regulator dismissed them as false.
Nigerian Newssphere recalls that the coalition of civil society organisations under the umbrella of Lawyers in Defence of Good Governance, which initially made the allegation against Ahmed, later retracted it, describing the claim as misinformation.
Meanwhile, the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) has earlier urged both Dangote and Ahmed to halt further public exchanges over the matter.
