Days after the founder of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, claimed that some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) had blending facilities in Malta, new information revealed that Nigeria was importing fuel of its worth $2.25 billion has been coming from Malta for over nine years.
Trade map data shows that Nigeria’s imports of bituminous minerals and petroleum oils rose to $2.8 billion by 2023, up 342% from $47.5 million in 2013. $59.98 million at 2014 value, million dollars 117.01 million in 2015 , and imported $13.32 million in 2016. However, from 2017 to 2022, there were no recorded imports of fuel from Malta. In 2023, imports rose to $2.08 trillion.
In light of these figures, many Nigerians believe that Dangote’s allegations are justified. In the debate over its $20 billion refinery, Dangote said, “Some terminals, some NNPC people and some traders have opened blending plants near Malta and we all know these places. We know what they’re doing.”
In response, the NNPC group boss, Mele Kyari, denied owning any blending plant outside Nigeria. Kyari said Dangote had received many comments from family and friends on his case. He explained that he had no business or direct or indirect business outside Nigeria, except for small scale agricultural businesses. Kyari also stressed that he was not aware of NNPC employees owning or operating blending plants in Malta or elsewhere.
“I have been inundated with questions from family members, friends and colleagues when the chairman of Dangote Group publicly announced that some NNPC employees have set up a blending plant in Malta, affecting the purchase of local petroleum products after,” Kyari said “To be clear, I am short for local – I have no business, directly or through proxy, anywhere in the world except the farming business. I am also not aware of NNPC employees owning or operating a blending plant in Malta or anywhere else in the world”.
The exchange followed allegations by the Director-General of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farooq Ahmed, who said diesel produced by the Dangote refinery had higher sulfur content than imported diesel. Dangote dismissed this allegation as trying to sabotage his refinery.
