Concerned Nigerians under the banner of civil society groups and anti-graft advocates are set to stage a peaceful nationwide rally on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, demanding the immediate removal and investigation of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, over alleged corruption and actions said to be undermining Nigeria’s local refining capacity.
The coordinated protest, scheduled to hold in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Port-Harcourt and other major cities, will see demonstrators converge on the National Assembly and the NMDPRA headquarters, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to act swiftly in line with his administration’s avowed zero-tolerance stance on corruption. The rally is themed “End the Sabotage: Probe and Sack Farouk, Protect Our Refineries.”
According to the organisers, the action follows their own investigations which revealed troubling patterns of alleged regulatory malpractice and economic sabotage. As part of their findings, they quoted Africa’s leading industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who has publicly raised concerns over what he described as Farouk Ahmed’s extravagant lifestyle.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki on Sunday, December 14, 2025, Dangote was quoted by the organisers as saying:
> “I don’t know why the authority chief executive, Mallam Farouk, has four of his children that he educated in Switzerland at the cost of $5 million for their secondary school education alone, not university.”
The protesters say these statements underscore broader concerns about Farouk Ahmed’s leadership at NMDPRA, alleging that regulatory decisions under his watch have favoured fuel importation over local refining. Specifically, they claim the approval of large volumes of fuel import licences, despite growing domestic refining capacity, undermines local investors and prolongs Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
Convener of the Citizens Against Corruption Coalition (CACC), Dr. Kenneth Emea, said the rally is aimed at defending national interest and protecting strategic investments in the energy sector.
> “President Tinubu, the champion of renewal, must act decisively. Farouk Ahmed’s alleged extravagance—$5 million on Swiss schools while families in Sokoto, his home state, struggle to afford N100,000 in school fees—is an affront to every hardworking Nigerian,” Emea said.
“We demand his immediate suspension, a full investigation by the CCB and EFCC, and deep reforms to free the NMDPRA from vested interests. Our refineries are our future.”
Also speaking, Engr. Ibrahim Husseini, who represents refinery workers and youth groups, described the planned protest as a voice for ordinary Nigerians bearing the brunt of fuel costs.
“This rally is for the voiceless—the pump attendants paying through the nose for fuel, the farmers whose costs rise with every import scam, and the youth denied jobs in a sabotaged industry. President Tinubu’s anti-corruption war must reach the downstream sector. Sack Farouk today; probe him tomorrow. Nigeria first!” he declared.
Organisers said the Abuja leg of the protest will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a peaceful march from Unity Fountain to the National Assembly, where petitions will be submitted to the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives, urging immediate legislative oversight. A simultaneous gathering will hold in Lagos at the NMDPRA headquarters in Ikoyi.
Participants have been advised to dress in white to symbolise transparency and justice, while security agencies have been notified to ensure an orderly and peaceful demonstration.
The coalition has called on Nigerians from all walks of life, including professionals, traders, students and those in the diaspora, to support the rally, insisting that decisive action now is critical to safeguarding Nigeria’s energy future and restoring public confidence in the petroleum regulatory system.