THE Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, has dismissed making any public statement in response to corruption allegations levelled against him.

He described a circulating response attributed to him as false.

In a statement reacting to the controversy on Wednesday, December 17, Ahmed said his attention was drawn to a “purported response” credited to him on the allegations, stressing that the statement did not originate from him.

“My attention has been drawn to a purported response I was said to have made on the recent allegations against my person. I hereby state categorically that the so-called statement did not emanate from me,” he said.

Ahmed acknowledged awareness of what he described as “wild and spurious allegations” against him and his family but said he deliberately refrained from engaging in public exchanges due to the sensitive nature of the sector he regulates.

“While I am aware of the wild and spurious allegations made against me and my family and the frenzy it has generated, as a regulator of a sensitive industry, I have opted not to engage in public brickbat,” he noted.

The NMDPRA boss said he welcomed the decision to submit the matter to a formal investigative body, expressing confidence that the process would afford him the opportunity to clear his name.

“Thankfully, the person behind the allegations has taken it to a formal investigative institution. I believe that would provide an opportunity to dispassionately distill the issues and to clear my name,” Ahmed added.

The ICIR reports that the reaction followed a petition submitted to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, through his lawyers.

Dangote had accused Ahmed of corruption, abuse of office, and financial impropriety, including allegations that millions of dollars were spent on the education of Ahmed’s children abroad.

The ICPC has since confirmed receipt of the petition and said it would investigate the allegations.

Dangote’s petition came days after he publicly accused the NMDPRA chief of living above his means during a press briefing, where he called on the Federal Government and anti-graft agencies to probe the regulator.

He also linked his accusations to broader concerns about alleged sabotage and entrenched cartels in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, which he claimed were frustrating local refining efforts, including operations at his Lekki refinery.

Mustapha USMAN

Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M