The chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has firmly rejected corruption allegations linked to him, insisting that a viral statement circulating online was fabricated and never authorised by his office.
Farouk Ahmed distanced himself from the purported response attributed to him, stressing that the document neither reflected his views nor represented any official position on claims raised by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.
Moreover, he maintained that he deliberately refrained from public exchanges to preserve the integrity of the regulatory institution.
Clarifying the situation in an official note issued on behalf of the authority in Abuja on Wednesday, Ahmed explained that engaging in media back-and-forth could erode confidence in the office he heads and distract from due process.
“My attention was drawn to a response credited to me over recent allegations. I want to state clearly that the statement did not come from me and was not issued with my consent,” Ahmed said.
Meanwhile, The Guild reports that he dispute followed comments made by Dangote during a briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, where the industrialist questioned the source of funds allegedly used by Ahmed to finance his children’s education abroad.
Subsequently, Dangote called for a comprehensive probe and urged the regulator to submit himself to the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Furthermore, the billionaire businessman petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, alleging that certain regulatory actions, including fuel import licence approvals, could harm investor confidence and amount to economic sabotage.
However, Ahmed welcomed the decision to channel the allegations through a statutory anti-graft agency, describing it as the most appropriate avenue for resolving the matter.
He expressed confidence that an institutional investigation would allow the facts to be objectively assessed.
“Since the allegations have now been referred to a recognised investigative agency, I believe that platform will objectively examine the facts and give me the opportunity to clear my name,” he said.
