A coalition of civil society organisations, led by the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately sack the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, and order a full investigation into allegations of corruption leveled against him.
The demand was made on Tuesday during a press conference in Abuja anchored by Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince and Comrade Igwe Ume-Udenta, following allegations by businessman Alhaji Aliko Dangote that Engr. Ahmed paid about five million dollars in secondary school tuition fees for his children.
The group said “the NMDPRA boss had failed to refute the allegation or clarify the source of the funds, nearly 48 hours after it was made public, an act which is very unbecoming of a government appointee”.
In addition, the coalition described the allegation as “grave and insisted that it warranted immediate action by the President and anti-graft agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)”.
It insisted that, “the failure to act swiftly would send the wrong signal to Nigerians and the international community about the government’s commitment to fighting corruption”.
The Coalition questioned how a public official could allegedly spend an estimated ₦7.5 billion on the secondary education of four children in a country where millions of children are out of school and many families struggle to pay modest school fees.
“Such reckless spending is incompatible with the legitimate earnings of a public servant. There’s a plausible reason to believe that Engr. Farouk Ahmed has illegally enriched himself with taxpayers money and must be made to face the full wrath of the law.
“It’s obvious that Engr. Ahmed is clearly an enabler of a powerful oil sector cabal that exploits the country’s resources, warning that vested interests might attempt to shield him from accountability.
“This is a test of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s resolve to confront corruption and address the hardships facing ordinary Nigerians under his Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration”, the group maintained.
The group warned that, “the matter would not be allowed to fade away, stating that it was prepared to mobilise unemployed, underemployed and economically disadvantaged Nigerians for mass protests if the government failed to act within 48 hours until justice is served”.
While expressing hope that the President and the EFCC would respond promptly, the coalition urged Nigerians “to remain vigilant” as they thanked the media and partner organisations for their continued support, adding that, “they would return to the streets if decisive action was not taken within the stated timeframe”.
