Dangote’s Allegations Stir Controversy Over Fuel Imports from Malta
A dramatic surge in Nigeria’s fuel imports from Malta prompts questions over NNPC’s international connections
In a startling revelation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, founder of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, has suggested that officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) are linked to blending plants in Malta. This claim gains traction amid new data showing that Nigeria imported fuel worth $2.25 billion from Malta over nine years.
Trade Map statistics reveal a sharp increase in Nigeria’s importation of petroleum oils from bituminous minerals, jumping from $47.5 million in 2013 to a staggering $2.8 billion in 2023. While fuel imports from Malta were absent between 2017 and 2022, a significant import of $2.08 billion in 2023 has sparked widespread speculation.
Dangote’s assertion, which comes amid a crisis surrounding his $20 billion refinery, has led many Nigerians to believe in the potential involvement of NNPC personnel in Malta-based blending operations. However, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, has vehemently denied these allegations, stating he does not own or operate any business outside Nigeria, except for a local agricultural venture. Kyari also asserted that he is unaware of any NNPC employee owning or operating a blending plant in Malta or elsewhere.
This controversy surfaces alongside accusations from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed, who claimed that the diesel produced by the Dangote refinery contained higher sulphur content than imported counterparts. Dangote has dismissed these allegations as an attempt to undermine his refinery, amid Ahmed’s assertion that Nigeria will continue to import fuel to prevent a Dangote monopoly.
As the debate intensifies, the need for transparency and resolution becomes imperative to ensure the integrity of Nigeria’s petroleum sector and the successful operation of the Dangote refinery.
