Farouk Ahmed, the chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, has declined to comment on the accusations made against him by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the president of the Dangote Group. In a brief statement provided to our correspondent on Wednesday, Ahmed stated that he did not approve of the comment that was making the rounds on social media.
During a news conference on Sunday at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, Dangote demanded that Ahmed come before the Code of Conduct Tribunal to provide a public explanation and demanded a thorough inquiry into the source of the funds he utilized.
"I have received complaints from people over a regulator who enrolled his kids in secondary school. Additionally, Nigeria spent $5 million on four of those six years of secondary schooling. You can't see someone spending $5 million to educate four kids, Dangote remarked.
Additionally, Dangote petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate Ahmed's financial dealings, claiming that the regulator's actions amounted to economic sabotage that could erode investor confidence and public trust, particularly since he had issued licenses for the importation of fuel.
A statement allegedly signed by Ahmed went viral on Tuesday, but our correspondent was informed by the NMDPRA team that it was untrue.
Speaking, Ahmed claimed he was not the source of the widely shared statement. He claimed that, despite being aware of the accusations made against him and his family, he had decided not to participate in public altercations.
"A reported answer I was said to have made on the current accusations against my person has caught my notice. I now declare unequivocally that I did not make the alleged statement.
"As a regulator of a sensitive industry, I have chosen not to engage in public brickbats, even though I am aware of the wild and spurious allegations made against my family and me and the frenzy it has generated," he stated.
The regulator was pleased that Dangote had brought the issue before the ICPC because he thought it would help him clear his record.
Fortunately, the person making the accusations has brought them before an official investigation body. I think that would give me a chance to objectively distil the problems and clear my name," he said.