About 500 public interest lawyers yesterday stormed the Presidential Villa and National Assembly with a petition against Ahmed Farouk, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The lawyers and members of some civil society organizations have been protesting for days, demanding immediate investigation of corruption allegations against Ahmed. They are equally demanding his sack and prosecution over the alleged offences, which include abuse of office and conflict of interest.
Speaking on behalf of the lawyers, Samuel Ihensekhien alleged that Ahmed had left the country in an attempt to evade possible arrest.
“This flagrant misuse of public resources, at a time when millions of Nigerians suffer from deteriorating public education
infrastructure, is both morally reprehensible and criminally indictable.
“The actions of Mr. Ahmed represent a clear abuse of office, a betrayal of the Nigerian people’s trust, and a severe breach of the fiduciary duty required of all public servants,” he said, citing allegations of diversion of $5 million in public funds to pay the school fees of his children in luxurious foreign universities.
The lawyers demanded that the National Assembly commence an immediate investigation, and recommend Ahmed’s immediate sack and suspension.
They also called for the freezing of local and offshore assets belonging to the NMDPRA boss.The protesters, in the same vein, demanded sweeping reforms in the appointment of regulatory agency heads in the oil and gas sector.
The petition is backed by civil society organizations including the Situation Room for Oil Sector Reforms, the Concerned Young Professionals Network, and the Coalition for Public Accountability (COPA), who have held protests calling for Farouk’s suspension and prosecution.The petitioners emphasised that Farouk’s actions represent a clear abuse of betrayal of the Nigerian people’s trust, and a severe breach of duty. According to the, his continued occupation of the position threatens transparency, accountability and reforms in the petroleum sector.
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