NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, stated that he does not own a blending plant in Malta and is unaware of any Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) employee who owns such a facility in the European island country.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Kyari requested that the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, publicly identify any NNPC personnel operating a blending plant in Malta.
I am inundated by enquiries from family members, friends and associates on the public declaration by the President of Dangote Group that some NNPC workers have established a blending plant in Malta thereby impeding procurements from local production of Petroleum products.
To…— Mele Kyari, OFR (@MKKyari) July 23, 2024
Over the weekend, Dangote, Africa’s richest man and owner of a $20 billion refinery in Lagos, claimed that some NNPC personnel and oil traders operate a blending plant in Malta, which he said is hindering local production of petroleum products.
Regulatory authorities have previously questioned the quality of petroleum products produced at the refinery in the Lekki Free Trade Zone.
Despite this, Dangote has maintained that the quality of products from his refinery surpasses those imported by marketers.
He said the bad fuel imported into the country has damaged many cars. “I still stand by what I said. Go to filling stations, you can check the quality. That is the only way,” he said.
“We know where they blend these things. Some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened a blending plant somewhere off Malta. We all know these areas. We know what they are doing,” Dangote said.
Kyari Responds
In his response on Tuesday, Kyari said, “To clarify the allegations regarding blending plant, I do not own or operate any business directly or by proxy anywhere in the world with the exception of a local mini Agric venture. Neither am I aware of any employee of the NNPC, that owns or operates a blending plant in Malta or anywhere else in the world.
“A blending plant in Malta or any part of the world has no influence over NNPC’s business operations and strategic actions.
“For further assurance, our compliance sanction grid shall apply to any NNPC employee who is established to be involved in doing so if availed and I strongly recommend that such individuals be declared public and be made known to relevant government security agencies for necessary actions in view of the grave implications for national energy security.”
Last December, Dangote began operations at his massive refinery in Lagos, initially processing 350,000 barrels per day. The facility aims to reach its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day by the end of the year.
The refinery has already started supplying diesel and aviation fuel to marketers in the country, with petrol supply expected to commence in August, despite facing regulatory resistance.