The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to urgently investigate allegations of corruption within the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
In a statement on Monday, SERAP urged the anti-corruption agencies to identify those allegedly responsible, bring them to justice, and recover any proceeds of corruption linked to the claims.
The organisation specifically asked the agencies to jointly invite the Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, for questioning over allegations that the authority arbitrarily issued licences for the importation of petroleum products from Russia and that he spent about $5 million on the secondary school education of four of his children in Switzerland.
SERAP said its request followed public allegations made by the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who raised concerns over the alleged foreign education expenditure and the purported discretionary issuance of petroleum import licences by the regulatory authority.
According to SERAP, a thorough investigation would enhance transparency and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s natural wealth and resources, and align with existing national anti-corruption laws as well as Nigeria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), to which the country is a state party.
The group cited Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates the state to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power, noting that the UNCAC similarly requires effective, proportionate, and dissuasive sanctions for corruption-related offences.
SERAP also urged President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government to ensure the protection of Alhaji Dangote as a whistleblower, in line with Article 33 of the UN Convention against Corruption. The article obliges governments to protect individuals who make public interest disclosures from unjustified treatment.
The organisation maintained that Dangote’s allegations constitute public interest disclosures capable of strengthening transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the management of Nigeria’s petroleum resources, as well as improving citizens’ access to essential public goods and services.
SERAP stressed that whistleblower protections must be fully upheld in the case, adding that safeguarding such disclosures is critical to the country’s anti-corruption efforts.
