Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Refinery and chairman of Dangote Group, has released a document detailing allegations of excessive foreign education expenses against Farouk Ahmed, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The document, which has been circulating publicly, claims that Ahmed spent approximately $5 million on the secondary and tertiary education of his four children abroad, specifically in Switzerland and the United States.
According to the document, Ahmed’s children attended prestigious schools such as Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, and La Garenne International School, with each child spending around six years at their respective institutions. The estimated annual tuition, upkeep, air travel, and living expenses per child are around $200,000, totaling $800,000 annually for all four children. Over a six-year period, the total cost is estimated to be around $4.8 million, with the overall secondary education expenses approximating $5 million.
The document further alleges that one of Ahmed’s children, Faisal Farouk, recently completed an MBA program at Harvard University, with tuition costs of $150,000, plus an additional $60,000 for upkeep and other expenses, totaling around $210,000 in 2025. As of now, Ahmed has not publicly responded to these allegations, and the NMDPRA has not issued an official statement. However, the regulator had previously dismissed similar claims as false.
This development comes after a coalition of civil society organizations, Lawyers in Defence of Good Governance, retracted their initial allegation against Ahmed, describing it as misinformation. The House Committee on Petroleum Resources and Downstream had also called for both Dangote and Ahmed to cease further public attacks. The release of these details by Dangote has brought the issue back into the spotlight, with many awaiting a response from Ahmed and the NMDPRA. The allegations have significant implications, and it remains to be seen how this situation will unfold.
