News
Report indicts NMDPRA Boss, Ahmed Farouq in $5.5m Children’s Tuition fraud
Oduduwa Solidarity Network has asked the Federal Government to suspend the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, over alleged $5 million fraud.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday, the Convener of the group, Comrade Tunde Osinowo, said an Independent Report on the Allegations of Abuse of Office has indicted Ahmed of spending an estimated $5.5 million equivalent of N8 billion at current exchange rates on the elite foreign education of his children.
Osinowo said this expenditure, if left unaccounted for, strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s anti-corruption battle, making a mockery of the laws and the suffering of ordinary citizens.
He said: “This report arises from a growing crisis of confidence in the leadership of NMDPRA and by extension, the integrity of public finance management in Nigeria.
“At the centre of this storm are credible allegations that Engr. Farouk Ahmed funded the overseas secondary and tertiary education of his four children at some of the most expensive institutions in the world.
“These include Institut Le Rosey, widely regarded as the most elite boarding school globally; Aiglon College and La Garenne International School in Switzerland; Montreux Secondary School; and, most recently, Harvard University.
“Our concern is not with private ambition or parental pride, but with the disconnect between this extravagant expenditure and Engr. Ahmed’s known income.
“Nigeria’s civil service, for all its responsibilities, does not pay salaries that can sustain a $5.5 million outlay on education. And to our knowledge, there has been no public disclosure of business earnings, family inheritance, or blind trust that might explain this wealth.
“As an independent network committed to public accountability, we have subjected these claims to due diligence.
“Faisal Farouk, Ashraf Farouk, Farouk Jr., and Farhana Farouk have attended institutions where annual tuition, boarding, travel, and upkeep amount to over $200,000 per child.
“Over a six-year period per child, this easily totals $1.2 million. With four children, the bill escalates to $4.8 million—and rising.
“One of the children recently graduated from Harvard University, where tuition and associated costs reached $152,000 for a single year.
“Ahmed has spent his entire adult life in government employment, beginning his career with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and rising through the ranks to his current position at NMDPRA.
“There is no record of declared external income, shareholding in profit-generating entities, or high-value asset sales that would justify this lifestyle.
“The failure of the NMDPRA to sign its public response, the lack of itemised defence, and the absence of a personal affidavit from Ahmed himself, indicate not a willingness to engage, but a strategy of obfuscation.
“This pattern is deeply concerning for an office entrusted with oversight of trillions in petroleum revenue.”
According to the group, Ahmed has breached the sacred trust of his office and he has failed the test of transparency.
“He has treated public office as a gateway to private luxury. And worse still, he has not even bothered to account for the excesses.
“Remember that in 2017, former President Muhammadu Buhari fired Babachir Lawal, then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, after he was implicated in a contract diversion scandal involving funds meant for internally displaced persons.
“Babachir was later prosecuted. In 2024, President Tinubu suspended Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, over financial transfers lacking due process. Both cases were seen as a defence of public morality—and rightly so.
“Is Engr. Farouk Ahmed exempt from the same standard? Is the misuse of public funds only criminal when it concerns displaced persons or social intervention budgets—but not when it quietly funds elite education in Switzerland and Montreux?
“What message does this silence send to millions of Nigerian parents struggling to pay WAEC fees or school levies? What does it say to the civil servant earning N150,000 monthly, paying tax, and watching as the top of the system floats above scrutiny?
“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend Engr. Farouk Ahmed from office pending the conclusion of a comprehensive investigation by relevant agencies.
“This is not unprecedented. Presidents before him have taken similar actions. In 2022, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, was suspended over allegations of financial impropriety.
“In 2017, Babachir Lawal, then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, was removed for misuse of funds earmarked for internally displaced persons. The principle was the same: public trust must not be eroded.
“We urge the Code of Conduct Bureau, the EFCC, and the ICPC to open an immediate investigation into the source of funds used by Engr. Ahmed for his children’s education.
“His asset declarations should be examined for accuracy and cross-checked against known expenditures.
“Should any infractions be established, we expect swift prosecution in line with Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws. No official, no matter how highly placed, should be above the law.
“Let it be known that we approach this matter not with malice, but with fidelity to a country in search of rebirth. Our silence in the face of such glaring contradictions would amount to complicity.
“Engr. Ahmed must submit to the same rules he once swore to uphold. This is not persecution—it is the minimum standard of ethical governance.”
Entertainment
Davido breaks silence after Grammy Award loss
Five-time Grammy nominee, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted after losing the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States.
The Afrobeats star shared a message of faith and resilience following the outcome of the ceremony, which took place on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in California.
In a post on his Instagram page, Davido shared photos with his wife, Chioma, from the event and wrote, “Oluwa Dey my side,” alongside prayer and music emojis.
Hours later, he posted another set of pictures of himself and Chioma at the Grammys, reflecting on the loss in a longer caption.
“I said baby listen we lost again let’s not go ! she said ‘Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat’ we outside,” he wrote.
Chioma also reacted via her Instagram page, praising the singer, “You already know that you’re the perfect one, @davido,” she wrote, while sharing photos from the awards night.
Davido was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category at the 2026 Grammy Awards but lost to South African singer Tyla, who won with her song Push 2 Start.
Other nominees in the category included Burna Boy (Love), Ayra Starr and Wizkid (Gimme Dat), Davido (With You featuring Omah Lay), and Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin (Hope & Love).
The win marked Tyla’s second Grammy Award, following her first victory in 2024 for her hit single Water.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, the singer revealed that With You, featuring Omah Lay, almost did not make the final tracklist of his album 5IVE.
“Man, it’s so crazy because that song almost didn’t make the album. With You was not in anybody’s top five.
“And now look at it go. Every time I was performing it, my heart would just start beating like, what if I didn’t put this song?” he told OkayAfrica.
Davido also recounted how he learned about the Grammy nomination, saying the news came unexpectedly while he was in Dubai, days before his birthday.
“I was in the car, actually, checking a car, and then my phone rang. They were like, ‘Oh yeah, another nomination.’ I was like, wow. Thank God,” he said.
“With You” was released in April 2025 as the 17th track on Davido’s fifth studio album, 5IVE, and has since become one of his most successful recent records, surpassing 100 million streams on Spotify.
Despite the song’s success, Nigeria did not record a win at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Davido said he is now focused on touring and releasing new music.
He is also billed to perform at Coachella 2026, where he will be the only Nigerian artiste on the festival lineup, performing on April 11 and April 18, 2026, in Indio, California.
-Guardian
Entertainment
Kunle Afolayan gives reasons to marry many women
Nollywood filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has stirred reactions after advising men to “marry many women” while reflecting on his upbringing in a polygamous home.
The actor and producer made the remarks at the watch party of Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens, with a clip from the event going viral on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, Afolayan linked his existence and achievements to his late father’s decision to marry several wives.
“Without my father, there wouldn’t have been a KAP Village or even Kunle Afolayan. I am the seventh born of my father because my father had ten wives. For the men, marry many women, or rather be involved with many women. You know why? If my father didn’t, he would not have born me, and that is the honest truth. But today, a few of us are lifting his legacy. Life is short, death is constant. Nobody has life forever. Everybody has a period. Use your period,” he said.
While his daughter, Eyiyemi Afolayan, joined him on stage, the filmmaker compared his childhood experience with his relationship with his children.
“They are lucky. For her, staying by my side is luck. Do you know why? I couldn’t stand it with my father. My father didn’t know my school. My father didn’t know my date of birth. He did not know anything about me other than, ‘He is the son of that person.’ But today, I’m so proud of my father,” he added.
Afolayan also spoke about fatherhood.
“Sometimes when people say ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ I’m always saying whether he pays child support or not, he’s still a father. I have been going to court because I want to get a divorce. I don’t mind being in the witness box, and I experienced the shit, so that I can marry many wives,” he said.
He thereafter prayed for his daughter, praising her role in the series.
“Hephzibah, her mother is the one who gave her the name. I don’t care, but I am proud of you. You started with the film, you did the first season, and now with the second season, you did amazingly well. My good Lord will continue to increase you in wisdom, in knowledge, and in understanding. If this is your path, the good Lord will see you through.”
However, this is not the first time the filmmaker has spoken about his late father’s polygamous lifestyle.
In March 2021, Afolayan told BBC Pidgin that his father, Adeyemi Afolayan, who died in 1996, married 10 wives and had 25 children, a decision he said took a toll on the family.
“I would not want to marry many wives because my father had 10 wives and I knew what happened throughout that period. I knew that really distracted my father. In this age, nobody needs to tell you before you know what’s right,” he said at the time.
He also disclosed that growing up in a polygamous home affected bonding among the children due to language and other barriers.
Afolayan further narrated how he battled poverty in his early years, revealing that he once lived in a one-room apartment in Ebute-Metta and sometimes had to deal with flooding.
“I was born in Ebute-Metta and have lived in one-room apartment before that we even have to grapple with flood sometimes. It’s not shame to say have been poor before. But if you see how l made it, it’s a matter of consistency. My father was a very popular filmmaker and ordinarily, people would expect me to life the kind of live akin to Hollywood stars,” he said.
“But that wasn’t the case. How would one live such life when you’re living in a room with ten women. That doesn’t mean there was no love among us.”
He had advised young filmmakers to start with the little resources available to them while working towards their dreams.
-Guardian
Article
Court adjourns Ganduje’s corruption trial to April 15
A Kano State High Court has adjourned until April 15 the trial of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and son, Abdullahi Umar, alongside five other defendants, over alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to billions of naira.
The defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The remaining accused persons are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
At the resumed hearing, the prosecution told the court it was ready to proceed and drew attention to a motion dated November 24, 2025, seeking leave to file additional proof of evidence.
However, defence lawyers raised objections, informing the court that multiple applications were pending and must be resolved before the trial could continue.
Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, counsel to some of the defendants, said the defence had filed a motion dated July 17, 2025, seeking a stay of proceedings.
Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, also referred to a separate motion dated May 23, 2025.
In addition, Muhammad Shehu, counsel to the fifth defendant, told the court that an affidavit had been filed notifying it of a pending application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
Abubakar Ahmad, counsel to the sixth defendant, informed the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and an application for extension of time to respond on points of law dated February 2, urging the court to fix a date for hearing.
Only Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, indicated readiness to proceed with the trial.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, adjourned the matter to April 15 for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.
The trial has suffered repeated delays due to legal challenges. The high court had earlier dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defence as “incompetent” and affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the case.
That ruling was appealed by the defendants, who argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. However, in October 2025, the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal struck out the appeal, citing failure to properly transmit the record of appeal.
-Guardian
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