Dare Babalola
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has invited billionaire Aliko Dangote to appear before it on Monday in Abuja, following a petition he submitted against Ahmed Farouk, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) over alleged corruption.
A source close to the commission, which confirmed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, stated that ICPC had set up a panel of crack investigators to handle the probe.
ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN), has instructed investigators to focus on Aliko Dangote’s petition, with the billionaire expected to appear or send his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), with evidence when the probe begins.
Dangote had accused Farouk of corruption and misappropriation of funds, including spending millions of dollars on his four children’s education in expensive and exclusive schools in Switzerland.
He also alleged that Farouk undermined domestic refining by colluding with international traders and oil importers through the continued issuance of import licences.
The ICPC has asked Dangote to submit his evidence to the anti-graft agency, and the commission is expected to be fair to all parties involved.
Farouk has since resigned his appointment, but the commission said it is going ahead with the investigation, stating that his resignation does not affect the probe.
The petition against Farouk alleges that he spent without evidence of lawful means of income amounting to over seven million dollars for the education of his four children in Switzerland.
Dangote is demanding the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of Farouk for allegedly living above his means as a public servant.
The commission’s spokesperson, John Okor Odey, confirmed that the ICPC received a formal petition on Dec. 16, from Dangote through his lawyer, against the former CEO of the NMDPRA.
Earlier this week, President Bola Tinubu forwarded to the Senate the names of two nominees to head Nigeria’s key petroleum regulatory agencies, following the resignation of Farouk and the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe.
Farouk and Komolafe were appointed in 2021 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the twin regulators established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In separate letters to the Senate, Tinubu requested the confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as Chief Executive Officer of the NUPRC and Saidu Mohammed as Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, urging the upper chamber to expedite consideration of the nominations.
The two nominees are seasoned professionals with decades of experience across Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.
