The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has asked Aliko Dangote to appear before its panel of crack investigators on Monday in Abuja over a petition he wrote.
Dangote had written a petition 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 on Sunday in Abuja, stated that ICPC had set up a panel of crack investigators to handle the probe.
According to the source, the commission’s Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN), has also asked the team to focus on Dangote’s petition.
The oil magnate is expected to appear or send his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN) with his evidence, when ICPC’s investigation of the petition formally commences.
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.
Meanwhile, legal luminary and Senior Partner at Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL), Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has raised concerns over the ongoing standoff between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and NMDPRA, warning that the dispute transcends commercial disagreement and strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s governance over its hydrocarbon resources.
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.
