AFRICA’s richest man and Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has released further details backing his allegation that the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, spent millions of dollars on the overseas education of his children.
News Point Nigeria reports that in a paid advertorial published in some national dailies, Dangote claimed that Ahmed expended an estimated $5 million on the secondary school education of four of his children in Switzerland over a six-year period.
The billionaire industrialist had earlier alleged that the NMDPRA boss paid about $5 million to a Swiss secondary school for his children’s education, describing the expenditure as “economic sabotage and corruption,” an allegation that has since generated public debate and scrutiny.
In the new publication, Dangote provided a breakdown of the alleged expenses and named the children involved as Faisal Farouk, Farouk Jr., Ashraf Farouk, and Farhana Farouk.
According to the advertorial, the children attended some of Switzerland’s most elite and expensive boarding schools, including Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, and La Garenne International School, over a period spanning six years.
Dangote itemised what he described as estimated costs covering tuition, accommodation, upkeep, and international travel. He claimed that the annual cost of tuition, airfare, and upkeep per child was approximately $200,000, bringing the combined yearly expenditure for the four children to about $800,000.
He further stated that over six years, the total living expenses and air travel costs amounted to $1.2 million per child, translating to $4.8 million for all four children.
Based on these figures, Dangote concluded that the combined cost of secondary school tuition and associated upkeep for the children was in the region of $5 million.
Beyond secondary education, the businessman also listed what he described as tertiary education expenses incurred by Ahmed for his children.
According to Dangote, the average annual cost of tuition, living expenses, airfare, and other incidentals for each child at the tertiary level was about $125,000 over four years. This, he said, amounted to $500,000 per child, or a combined total of $2 million for all four children.
He also singled out one of the children, Faisal Farouk, noting that he recently completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme at Harvard University in 2025.
“Faisal just finished the 2025 Harvard MBA at $150,000, with an additional $60,000 for upkeep, tickets, and other incidentals, bringing the total spent in 2025 alone to $210,000,” Dangote stated.
The industrialist argued that Nigerians are entitled to ask questions about the source of funds used for such expenditures, especially given Ahmed’s position as a public officer.
Dangote contrasted the alleged spending with the economic realities faced by many Nigerians, particularly in Ahmed’s home state of Sokoto, where, he said, numerous parents struggle to afford basic school fees of ₦10,000 for their children.
He insisted that transparency and accountability demand public explanation when senior government officials are linked to lifestyle and spending patterns that appear inconsistent with known earnings.
As of the time of filing this report, Farouk Ahmed and the NMDPRA had yet to issue a formal response to the detailed claims published in the advertorial.
