The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for an investigation into the allegations of corruption made against the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed.
President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had accused Ahmed of corruption during a press conference held on Sunday in Lagos.
The billionaire businessman also claimed that the NMDPRA CEO spent about $5 million on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland, which exceeds his official income.
Speaking further, Dangote said that the NMDPRA boss’ expenditure was difficult to reconcile with earnings from public service.
As such, Dangote called for tax authority scrutiny amid broader refinery sabotage allegations, while Africa’s richest man, on Tuesday doubled down on his allegations of graft and economic sabotage, dragging Ahmed before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Ahmed, on Wednesday resigned following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, who summoned him to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The NBA has, however, said that resignation does not equal exoneration, while warning that failure to investigate corruption and economic sabotage claims against Ahmed entrenches impunity and weakens institutions.
According to the NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), such serious allegations, including forgery and false asset declarations, must be thoroughly investigated and should not be allowed to end with the resignation or removal of a public officer.
Osigwe said this during a TV interview, warning that allowing high-profile officials to quietly leave office without accountability weakens institutions and entrenches a culture of impunity.
Speaking further, the NBA president warned that resignation does not amount to exoneration and must not be treated as closure.
“Allegations of this nature are too weighty to be used merely as tools for political expediency or administrative convenience. Once such claims are made, there is a public duty to investigate them to their logical conclusion, either to clear the individual’s name or to establish guilt based on credible evidence,” Osigwe said.
“We have said this before in similar cases. When weighty allegations such as forgery or false declarations are raised, there ought to be an investigation. People should present documents, and where others are complicit, they too should be held accountable.”
He also cautioned against a pattern in which allegations surface, a resignation follows, and public interest fades without any transparent inquiry.
According to him, such an approach will always create the impression that allegations are weaponised simply to remove someone from office, after which no one genuinely seeks the truth.
“Accountability processes must be driven by a sincere desire to uphold the rule of law, not by political manoeuvring or attempts to give one party an advantage in regulatory or commercial disputes,” Osigwe said.
“Politicising serious accusations reduces them to power plays and undermines public confidence in governance and justice,” he added, declining to take sides in the specific controversy between Dangote and Ahmed.
Osigwe added that perceptions of corruption can sometimes be as damaging as proven misconduct, making it all the more important for allegations to be properly examined, warning that failure to investigate harms not only the individuals involved but also the credibility of public institutions.
“Building strong institutions requires consistency, transparency, and follow-through in handling allegations against public officers. This is how institutions are built and how we prevent such issues from recurring,” he said.
The NBA president also warned that Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts would remain superficial unless allegations are followed by credible investigations and, where necessary, prosecution.
Osigwe stressed that accountability must go beyond symbolic gestures to demonstrable outcomes.
