A coalition of civil society groups under the banner of the Situation Room for Oil Sector Reforms on Monday staged coordinated protests at the offices of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in Abuja, calling for the immediate resignation and prosecution of Engr. Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The demonstrators, led by Dan Okwa, convener of the coalition, accused Ahmed of misappropriating over $5 million during his tenure and of running the agency as a “personal estate.”
They also alleged a serious conflict of interest involving Ahmed’s son, Faisal, who reportedly works for Oando PLC — a company that falls directly under the regulatory authority of the NMDPRA.
“The allegations against him are grave, well-documented, and supported by credible evidence,” Okwa said during the protest. “Keeping him in office while investigations are pending is a threat to the integrity of the probe.”
The group’s demands include Ahmed’s immediate suspension to ensure an unfettered investigation, coordinated probes by anti-corruption agencies — including the EFCC, ICPC, and CCB — as well as a thorough review of his financial and asset declarations.
They are also calling for the subpoena of all financial records linked to his children’s foreign education and a forensic audit of licenses granted by the NMDPRA under his leadership.
“If it’s proven that public funds were used for tuition or luxury living abroad, we demand full asset recovery,” Okwa stated. “No more soft landings for corrupt officials.”
The protestors warned that they would continue their demonstrations until Ahmed is suspended and a full-scale reform of the NMDPRA is initiated. They insisted that the current scandal reflects deeper systemic failures within the petroleum regulatory system.
This protest adds to growing public scrutiny of the petroleum sector, long marred by accusations of corruption, inefficiency, and regulatory capture.
As of press time, Engr. Farouk Ahmed has not publicly responded to the allegations. Attempts to reach the NMDPRA’s spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful.