The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Wednesday called for a thorough investigation into corruption allegations made against the immediate past Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk.
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, had accused Ahmed of corruption and economic sabotage, urging that he be investigated.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, NBA President Afam Osigwe said a probe was necessary despite Ahmed’s resignation from office.
“It will be unfair for me to take sides with any of the sides,” Osigwe said.
He added that the matter had become an embarrassment to public officials and the government, noting that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had already indicated its intention to investigate the allegations.
“Let it not be that these allegations were used to get rid of a person,” he said.
“Let there be a proper investigation so that the man clears his name, or it is proved that he was actually corrupt or guilty of the allegations against him.”
Dangote’s Allegation
Dangote alleged that the former NMDPRA chief spent “taxpayers’” money running into millions of dollars on the secondary school education of his children in Switzerland, publishing a breakdown of the alleged expenses in an advert.
The billionaire also petitioned the ICPC, calling for Ahmed’s arrest, investigation and prosecution, while accusing him of “living beyond his means” as a public official.
He further alleged that Ahmed used the authority of the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal benefit and private interests, actions which reportedly sparked protests by various groups.
Dangote claimed that Ahmed had spent his entire adult life working in Nigeria’s public sector and that his cumulative earnings could not have amounted to $7 million.
Following the allegations, Ahmed resigned after a brief meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
He had earlier dismissed Dangote’s accusations as “wild” and “spurious.”