Coalition Declares Nationwide, Diaspora Protests Calling for Immediate Removal of NMDPRA CEO Farouk Ahmed

A broad coalition of civil society organisations has announced coordinated nationwide protests across Nigeria, alongside parallel demonstrations in New York and London, demanding the immediate removal of Farouk Ahmed as Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

According to the coalition, the protests will begin on Wednesday at Ahmed’s office in Abuja and extend throughout the week to major cities across the country. In the diaspora, demonstrators are expected to converge on the United Nations House in New York and the Nigeria House in London.

The coalition comprises Nigerian Citizens for Transparency (NCT), Anti-Corruption Alliance of Nigeria (ACAN), Sokoto Welfare Foundation (SWF), Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ), African Refiners Network (ARN), Lagos Civil Rights Movement (LCRM), Global Nigerians Diaspora Forum (GNDF), Nigerian Integrity Watch (NIW), Petroleum Workers Union of Nigeria (PWUN), Youth Empowerment Initiative (YEI), Economic Sabotage Watch Group (ESWG), International Coalition Against Corruption (ICAC) and Diaspora Advocacy Network (DAN).

Also listed among the participating groups are the British-Nigerian Solidarity Forum (BNSF), Anti-Graft Campaign UK (AGCU), Human Rights Defenders League (HRDL), Sustainable Energy Alliance (SEA) and the National Anti-Corruption Front (NACF).

In a statement issued on behalf of the coalition, Comrade Dan Danilson said Nigerians were “shocked and outraged” by allegations that a public official entrusted with overseeing a vital national resource allegedly spent millions of dollars on the education of three of his children at elite secondary schools in Switzerland, while many citizens in Sokoto State and across the country struggle to afford basic school fees.

He described the allegations as a serious breach of public trust, noting that they reflect what he called unacceptable extravagance at the expense of impoverished communities nationwide.

Danilson said the coalition condemned Ahmed’s alleged conduct in the strongest terms and pledged sustained pressure until he is removed from office and subjected to a full investigation.

He further stated that the lifestyle attributed to Ahmed, allegedly financed by questionable wealth while holding one of the most sensitive positions in Nigeria’s economy, represents an insult to citizens grappling with economic hardship. He argued that spending huge sums on overseas luxury education for his children, while parents in Sokoto reportedly struggle to raise as little as ₦10,000 for school fees, shows a troubling disconnect from the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.

According to him, the allegations point to deep-seated corruption and conflicts of interest that, in the coalition’s view, have undermined Nigeria’s drive for energy independence. He accused Ahmed of favouring fuel importers over local refineries, allegedly prioritising personal interests above national development and worsening poverty and fuel scarcity.

Danilson added that the coalition would not remain silent while, in its words, the downstream petroleum sector is handed over to vested foreign interests, describing the alleged actions as economic sabotage that enriches a few while crippling domestic investment and keeping fuel prices high for ordinary Nigerians.

He said the protests commencing on Wednesday at Ahmed’s office are intended to send a clear message that the NMDPRA chief must step aside immediately, stressing that only his removal could begin to restore public confidence.

The coalition also called on Nigerians at home and abroad to join what it described as a decisive stand against corruption, insisting that the allegations against Ahmed are too serious to be ignored or suppressed. It warned that any failure to act decisively would amount to tacit acceptance of corruption in one of the country’s most critical sectors.