By Adekusibe Ademola
16th December 2025
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has rejected allegations linking him to corruption over the funding of his children’s education, describing the claims as misleading and lacking proper context.
In a statement issued on December 16, 2025, the NMDPRA boss said the allegations necessitated a response not out of fear of scrutiny but because of their timing and the need to place his finances within the context of more than three decades of public service in Nigeria’s petroleum sector. He stressed that he welcomes investigation of his finances and has consistently submitted asset declarations as required by law.
Tracing his career to 1991, he said he rose through the ranks from a junior engineer in the former Department of Petroleum Resources to his current position as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA through merit and competence, not political patronage. He highlighted years spent in technical divisions, including crude oil marketing, gas supply monitoring and downstream operations, noting that his work was driven by engineering precision and market realities rather than political considerations.
The NMDPRA chief recalled serving as General Manager of the Crude Oil Marketing Division in 2012, overseeing Nigeria’s oil revenue during a period of global price volatility, and later as Deputy Director in 2015 amid fuel scarcity and pricing challenges. According to him, these roles often required taking principled positions that created powerful opposition. He said his appointment as NMDPRA Chief Executive in 2021 came with a mandate to implement the Petroleum Industry Act transparently and without favour, acknowledging that such reforms would unsettle interests accustomed to opacity in the sector.
Addressing claims that he spent millions of dollars on his children’s education in Switzerland, he described the figures being circulated as inaccurate. He explained that three of his four children benefited from merit-based scholarships covering between 40 and 65 per cent of tuition costs, while additional support came from education trust funds established by his late father before his death in 2018. He added that his personal contribution was drawn from savings accumulated over decades of public service and family resources, insisting that no public funds were diverted.
He stated that his annual remuneration as NMDPRA Chief Executive, estimated at about ₦48 million including allowances, is publicly available in audited reports. According to him, when this income is considered alongside long-term savings, cooperative investments available to civil servants and family support, the cost of his children’s education was consistent with his means.
The NMDPRA CEO reaffirmed that he has filed detailed asset declarations with the Code of Conduct Bureau throughout his career, adding that all income sources, investments and major expenditures are documented and available for scrutiny by relevant authorities.
