President Bola Tinubu held a crucial meeting with the head of Nigeria's petroleum regulator on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, as a fierce public battle with Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, escalated over claims of corruption and economic sabotage.
Dangote's Explosive Accusations Against Regulator
The meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja between President Tinubu and Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), came after days of stunning allegations from industrialist Aliko Dangote. The founder of Dangote Industries launched a direct attack on the regulator, accusing it of actions deliberately designed to cripple Nigeria's domestic refining capacity.
Speaking from his massive Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Sunday, Dangote labelled the NMDPRA's leadership as engaging in economic sabotage. His core grievance focused on the authority's continued practice of issuing licences for fuel imports. He argued this policy directly undermines local refiners by sustaining Nigeria's dependence on imported petroleum products.
Dangote went further, alleging a covert alliance between the regulator and international oil traders. He claimed this collusion unfairly disadvantages Nigerian operators, a serious charge the NMDPRA has not publicly addressed.
Personal Corruption Allegations and Multi-Million Dollar Education
The dispute took a deeply personal turn when Dangote targeted Farouk Ahmed directly. He questioned the NMDPRA chief's lifestyle, suggesting it exceeded his legitimate income. The billionaire presented detailed claims about Ahmed's children's education, stating that four of them attend secondary schools in Switzerland at a cost running into millions of dollars.
On Monday, Dangote escalated by attaching specific figures to his corruption allegations. He estimated that roughly $5 million was spent on secondary education and upkeep over six years. He added another $2 million for tertiary education, including an alleged $210,000 payment for a Harvard MBA programme in 2025 for one of Ahmed's children. Dangote framed these expenditures as clear evidence of misappropriation of public funds and a profound conflict of interest for the nation's top downstream petroleum overseer.
Legal Escalation: A Petition to the ICPC
The conflict moved from the court of public opinion to a formal legal arena on Tuesday. Through his lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ogwu Onoja, Aliko Dangote submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The petition, addressed to ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu, called for the immediate arrest, investigation, and prosecution of Farouk Ahmed. It reiterated the allegation that Ahmed "spent without evidence of lawful means of income amounting to over $7 million for the education of his four children" in Switzerland. Reports indicate the document contained detailed verification data, including the children's names and the specific schools they attended.
A Silent Exit and Unanswered Questions
Against this tense backdrop, Farouk Ahmed arrived at the Presidential Villa around 5:30 pm on Wednesday for his meeting with President Tinubu. The discussion lasted less than thirty minutes. Upon exiting the State House, Ahmed declined to speak with waiting journalists, offering no comment on the swirling allegations or what was discussed with the President.
As of Wednesday evening, neither the Presidency nor the NMDPRA had issued any official statement regarding Dangote's allegations. The purpose and the outcome of President Tinubu's meeting with the embattled regulator chief remain officially undisclosed, leaving the Nigerian public and business community awaiting clarity on one of the most significant corporate-regulatory clashes in recent years.
