The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has invited Aliko Dangote to appear before its panel of investigators on Monday in Abuja over a petition he submitted.
Dangote had filed a petition against Ahmed Farouk, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), alleging corruption.
A source familiar with the development, who confirmed this on Sunday in Abuja, said the ICPC has constituted a panel of seasoned investigators to conduct the inquiry.
According to the source, the commission’s Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN), has directed the panel to concentrate specifically on Dangote’s petition.
The business mogul is expected to appear in person or be represented by his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), with relevant evidence when the ICPC formally begins investigating the petition.
Dangote accused Farouk of corruption and diversion of public funds, including allegedly spending millions of dollars on the education of his four children in elite schools in Switzerland.
He further alleged that Farouk sabotaged domestic refining by collaborating with international traders and oil importers through the continuous issuance of import licences.
The ICPC has requested Dangote to submit supporting evidence to the anti-graft agency and assured that the commission would handle the matter impartially.
Farouk has since stepped down from his position, but the commission said the investigation would proceed, noting that his resignation does not affect the probe.
The petition against Farouk alleges that he expended over seven million dollars, without proof of legitimate income, on the education of his four children in Switzerland.
Dangote is calling for the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of Farouk for allegedly living beyond his lawful earnings as a public official.
The commission’s spokesperson, John Okor Odey, confirmed that the ICPC received a formal petition on Dec. 16 from Dangote, submitted through his lawyer, against the former NMDPRA chief executive.
Earlier this week, President Bola Tinubu transmitted to the Senate the names of two nominees to lead Nigeria’s major petroleum regulatory agencies, following the resignation of Farouk and the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe.
Meanwhile, legal luminary and Senior Partner at Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL), Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), raised concerns over the ongoing dispute between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the NMDPRA, warning that the conflict goes beyond commercial interests and touches on Nigeria’s governance of its hydrocarbon resources.
Farouk and Komolafe were appointed in 2021 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari to head the twin regulators established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In separate letters to the Senate, Tinubu sought confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Saidu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, urging lawmakers to fast-track the screening process.
The two nominees are industry veterans with decades of experience across Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.
