The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has denied allegations made by Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, regarding the establishment of a blending plant in Malta by a cartel of NNPCL personnel, oil traders, and terminals.
Dangote, speaking at the House of Representatives on Monday, claimed that some NNPCL workers, along with oil traders, had set up a blending plant off the coast of Malta.
He explained that such a plant while lacking refining capabilities, could blend re-refined oil with additives to produce finished lubricant products.
He asserted that the locations of these blending plants were well-known within the industry.
“Some of the terminals, some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened a blending plant somewhere off Malta,” Dangote stated. “We all know these areas. We know what they are doing.”
In response, Kyari clarified his position and that of the NNPCL in a public statement on Tuesday: “I do not own or operate any business directly or by proxy anywhere in the world, except for a local mini agricultural venture.
“I am not aware of any NNPC employee owning or operating a blending plant in Malta or elsewhere.”
Kyari emphasised that such a plant would have no bearing on NNPCL’s operations or strategic actions.
“A blending plant in Malta or any part of the world does not influence NNPC’s business operations and strategic actions,” he added.
He assured the public that any NNPC employee found involved in such activities would face strict compliance sanctions.
He also called for those implicated to be publicly identified and handed over to relevant government security agencies, highlighting the serious implications for national energy security.
This exchange comes amid a broader discussion on fuel quality in Nigeria and Dangote’s current dispute with the oil corporation.
Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has been embroiled in a dispute with the NNPCL and other oil regulators.
Reports circulating online, including statements from Farouk Ahmed, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), suggested that local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, were producing inferior products compared to imports.
The company’s spokesperson, Anthony Chiejina, later labelled the reports of producing high-sulfur diesel as “mischievous and aimed at tarnishing our reputation.”
Dangote has also attributed many vehicle issues to substandard imported fuel and urged the House of Representatives to form an independent committee to verify the quality of petrol available at filling stations.
“I want you to set up a committee that will come with every representative headed by your chosen honourable member to come and lead in taking samples from filling stations because I must tell you today that all the test certificates that people are busy floating around, where are the labs?
“Even if they have the labs, I can tell you they are fake certificates,” Dangote said.
In response to these allegations, the House of Representatives joint committee on petroleum resources (downstream and midstream) launched a probe into claims that local refineries, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, produce inferior products.
The committee is also investigating allegations that international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria are undermining the Dangote refinery.
The CEO of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, had earlier claimed that local refineries, including Dangote’s, were producing inferior products compared to imports, accusations that Dangote has denied.
To address the issues, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) Heineken Lokpobiri, held a meeting with Dangote, Ahmed, Kyari, and Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Monday.
