Drama As Report Reveals N2.25B Fuel Was Imported From Malta Days After Dangote’s Revelation On NNPC Officials

Following Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s allegations that Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) officials own blending plants in Malta, new information has surfaced indicating that Nigeria imported fuel worth $2.25 billion from Malta over nine years.

According to Trade Map data, Nigeria imported $2.8 billion worth of petroleum oils from Malta in 2023, a significant increase from $47.5 million in 2013. The imports for 2014, 2015, and 2016 were $59.98 million, $117.01 million, and $13.32 million, respectively. Notably, there were no fuel imports from Malta between 2017 and 2022, but in 2023, imports soared to $2.08 billion.

This sudden spike in imports has led some Nigerians to support Dangote’s claim about NNPC personnel owning blending plants in Malta. Amid the controversy surrounding his $20 billion refinery, Dangote stated, “Some NNPC people and traders have opened blending plants off Malta. We know these areas and what they are doing.”

In response, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, denied owning any blending plants abroad. He clarified that he does not operate any business, directly or by proxy, outside Nigeria except for a local agricultural venture. He also stated that he is unaware of any NNPC employee owning or operating a blending plant in Malta or elsewhere.

Kyari addressed the allegations, saying, “I do not own or operate any business directly or by proxy anywhere in the world, except for a local mini-agric venture. Neither am I aware of any NNPC employee who owns or operates a blending plant in Malta or anywhere else.”

Dangote has been vocal amid allegations from Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, who claimed that diesel from the Dangote refinery had higher sulfur content than imported fuel. Ahmed also mentioned that fuel imports would continue to prevent a Dangote monopoly, a statement Dangote has criticized as an attempt to undermine his refinery.