By ENGR. Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has dismissed allegations that he spent $5 million on his children’s education abroad, describing the claims as misleading, unfounded and deliberately timed to undermine regulatory reforms in the petroleum sector.
In a detailed right of reply issued on December 16, 2025, Ahmed said the allegation that he financed expensive Swiss secondary education through corrupt means was “innuendo” that ignored verifiable facts, including scholarships, family support and decades of legitimate savings.
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“The allegation that I spent $5 million on my children’s Swiss secondary education is presented as evidence of corruption inconsistent with my official income. This requires factual correction,” he stated.
According to him, three of his four children received merit-based scholarships covering between 40 and 65 per cent of tuition costs, while additional funding came from education trust funds established by his late father before his death in 2018.
“When scholarships, family contributions and my own savings accumulated over three decades are properly accounted for, my personal financial obligation was entirely consistent with someone of my professional standing and length of service,” Ahmed said.
He disclosed that his annual compensation as NMDPRA CEO, estimated at about N48 million including allowances, is publicly available in audited reports, adding that he has consistently submitted asset declarations to the Code of Conduct Bureau since joining public service in 1991.
“I hereby publicly authorise all educational institutions my children have attended to disclose financial records to authorised Nigerian government investigators,” he added, expressing confidence that such disclosures would expose “the substantial gap between allegation and reality”.
Ahmed linked the resurgence of the allegations to NMDPRA’s recent regulatory actions, including stricter quality standards, tougher licensing requirements and transparent pricing mechanisms that, he said, disrupted entrenched interests.
“These allegations resurface precisely when NMDPRA has enforced quality standards revealing substandard petroleum products in the market and implemented stricter licensing requirements. This timing is not coincidental,” he said.
He also defended the authority’s import licensing decisions, rejecting claims that they amounted to economic sabotage.
Citing Section 7 of the Petroleum Industry Act, Ahmed maintained that issuing licences when domestic supply is insufficient is a statutory obligation aimed at preventing fuel scarcity.
“A single-source supply model, regardless of ownership, creates dangerous vulnerabilities that no responsible regulator can ignore,” he said.
The NMDPRA chief further called for comprehensive investigations by the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Assembly, pledging full cooperation.
“I will cooperate fully, provide all documentation and answer all questions under oath if required,” he stated, insisting that investigations must be “genuine, professional and free from predetermined conclusions driven by commercial interests”.
Ahmed said personal attacks and what he described as “manufactured scandals” would not deter him from carrying out his duties.
“If the price of regulatory independence is personal attacks, I accept that price,” he declared, reaffirming his commitment to transparency, integrity and reforms in Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum sector.
