By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The petition written against the immediate past chief executive of the Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed, which was withdrawn from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has now been taken to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The letter was written by the chairman of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Mr Aliko Dangote. It contained allegations of allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Mr Ahmed.

The petition led to the resignation of the former NMDPRA chief from office last month.

It was gathered that Mr Dangote, through his legal representative, filed a formal corruption petition against him at the headquarters of the EFCC, with specific plea of prosecuting Mr Ahmed if found culpable.

The businessman said the withdrawal of the petition from the ICPC was a strategic move aimed at accelerating the prosecution process.

 In the petition signed by his lead counsel Mr O.J. Onoja (SAN), Mr Dangote noted that, “We make bold to state that the commission is strategically positioned along with sister agencies to prosecute financial crimes and corruption related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders. See Lawan v. F.R.N (2024) 12 NWLR (Pt. 1953) 501 and Shema v. F.R.N. (2018) 9 NWLR (Pt.1624)337.”

He further urged the anti-money laundering agency, under the leadership of Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, “…to investigate the complaint of Abuse of Office and Corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting.”

“The commission’s firm resolve in handling this matter with dispatch is not only imperative and expedient but will also serve as a deterrent to other public officers out there with such corrupt proneness and tendencies,” he added.

Recall that on December 14, 2025, Mr Dangote raised concerns about Mr. Ahmed’s financial dealings, alleging that the former regulator is living far beyond his legitimate means.

According to him, four of Mr Ahmed’s children attended elite secondary schools in Switzerland, incurring costs running into several millions of dollars—an expenditure that raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and the integrity of regulatory oversight in the downstream petroleum industry.

Mr Dangote listed the schools attended by Mr. Ahmed’s children: Faisal Farouk (Montreux School), Farouk Jr. (Aiglon College), Ashraf Farouk (Institut Le Rosey), and Farhana Farouk (La Garenne International School), noting that each child spent six years in these institutions. He estimated annual tuition, travel, and upkeep per child at $200,000, totaling approximately $5 million for their secondary education.

Additionally, he alleged that Mr Ahmed spent another $2 million on tertiary education for the four children, including $210,000 for Faisal’s 2025 Harvard MBA program.

“Nigerians deserve to know the source of these funds, especially when many parents in Mr Ahmed’s home state of Sokoto struggle to pay as little as N10,000 in school fees,” Mr Dangote stated.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigerian author, Ms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and her husband, Dr Ivara Esege, have lost one of their twin sons, Nkanu Nnamdi.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by Ms Omawumi Ogbe, on behalf of the family, the 21-month-old baby passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, after a brief illness.

The statement said the family is devastated by the loss, and requested that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.

“We’re deeply saddened to confirm the passing of one of Ms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dr Ivara Esege’s twin boys, Nkanu Nnamdi, who passed on Wednesday, 7th of January 2026, after a brief illness. He was 21 months old.

“The family is devastated by this profound loss, and we request that their privacy be respected during this incredibly difficult time.

“We ask for your grace and prayers as they mourn in private.

“No further statements will be made, and we thank the public and the media for respecting their need for seclusion during this period of immense grief,” the statement read.

Ms Adichie is known for works including Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah and her 2012 Ted Talk and essay We Should All Be Feminists, which was sampled by Beyoncé on her 2013 song Flawless.

The 48 year old writer had her first child, a daughter, in 2016. In 2024, her twin boys were born using a surrogate.

In 2020, her 2006 novel Half of a Yellow Sun was voted the best book to have won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in its 25-year history.

Her latest book, Dream Count, was published in 2025.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, has queried the decision of President Bola Tinubu to write-off about N8 trillion in debts owed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited despite unresolved audit queries running into trillions of Naira.

Mr Obi, in a statement titled Era of Financial Recklessness, described the reported debt forgiveness as alarming, especially at a time Nigerians are grappling with rising energy costs, inflation and heavier tax burdens.

“Just last week, it was alarmingly reported that the President approved the write-off of N5.57 trillion and $1.42 billion, approximately N8 trillion, in debts owed by NNPC, a company that recently announced profits and claimed it had turned a new leaf,” Mr Obi said in the statement on X, formerly Twitter.

He noted that the development comes amid ongoing audit investigations into NNPC over an alleged failure to account for N210 trillion, a figure he said exceeds Nigeria’s combined federal budgets between 2023 and 2026.

“For context, the total federal government budgets from 2023 to 2026 amount to about N178.56 trillion. Nigerians are still waiting for the outcome of the National Assembly investigation into the missing trillions,” Mr Obi stated.

The former Anambra State governor questioned the rationale behind the debt write-off, pointing out that NNPC is also under scrutiny over trillions of naira spent on non-functional refineries.

“This is the same agency facing serious audit inquiries and yet the President, who also serves as the Minister in charge, has approved the write-off of about N8 trillion in NNPC debts,” he said.

Mr Obi argued that the debt forgiveness effectively shifts the revenue burden to ordinary Nigerians, who are already reeling from the removal of fuel and electricity subsidies.

“Nigerians, already enduring severe hardships, are now confronted with this unexplained debt forgiveness. The nearly N8 trillion write-off will effectively replace revenue that the government is now seeking through unfair taxation,” he said.

Mr Obi stressed that the amount written off could have significantly strengthened key sectors of the economy.

“This almost N8 trillion exceeds the combined 2025 federal budget allocations for education, health and agriculture, which total N7.1 trillion,” he noted, adding that it is also “nearly twice the 2025 federal security budget of N4.9 trillion.”

He maintained that such resources could have been deployed to stimulate productivity, create jobs and reduce poverty, particularly in an economy struggling with unemployment and weak growth.

“The President owes Nigerians clear answers. Citizens deserve honesty, fiscal discipline and governance that protects their interests, not the interests of mismanaged corporations or political elites,” Mr Obi said.

He called for transparency around the reported write-off, warning that unchecked fiscal decisions in the energy sector could further undermine public trust and economic stability.

“This betrayal of the people must be stopped,” Mr Obi concluded.