Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has criticised the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, accusing him of living beyond his legitimate income and calling for an investigation into his finances.
Dangote made the allegations while addressing journalists on Sunday, as a renewed feud between both men played out publicly. He claimed that Ahmed pays about $5 million each in school fees for his children enrolled in a school in Switzerland.
According to Dangote, such expenditure does not align with Ahmed’s known income and should ordinarily attract scrutiny from relevant authorities.
“Mallam Farouk has four of his children whom he educated in Switzerland at a cost of $5 million for their secondary school education alone, not university,” Dangote said.
“When you look at his income, his income does not match paying this kind of fees. And even if it’s me paying $5 million for six years for my four children, the taxman has to look at my taxes and how much I pay,” he added.
Dangote further contrasted the alleged spending with the economic realities faced by ordinary Nigerians, particularly in Ahmed’s home state.
“From Sokoto, where he comes from, people are struggling to pay ₦100,000 for school fees. A lot of children are at home, not going to school, because of ₦100,000,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, Farouk Ahmed has not issued any statement or responded to the allegations made against him.