Mele Kyari claims innocence in reaction to Dangote’s allegation that NNPC officials have refineries in Malta
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, has denied the allegation by the President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, that officials of the state oil company have blending plants in Malta where they import dirty fuel into Nigeria.
A blending plant is a refinery operation that blends different component streams into various grades of fuel.
Dangote, in reaction to a claim by the federal government-owned Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA) that fuel from his refinery is of inferior grade, dropped the bombshell that he is aware of NNPCL officials and some oil dealers running a blending plant in Malta where they import dirty fuel into the country.
Addressing lawmakers who came to his refinery for inspection last Saturday, Dangote said: “A complaint I heard which the Right Honourable Deputy Speaker raised with me is that why did we drop the price of diesel when we started. Is it because of the bad quality we were producing? I told him no, that even the 650 and 700 ppm that we were producing were better quality than what they were importing.
“I am sure Your Excellency sir, most of you have problems with your vehicles, either you’ve had or you are still having problems with your vehicles. It is because of the bad fuel they are importing into the country. I still stand by what I said. Go to filling stations, you can pick up samples and check the quality. That’s the only way. All these ones that somebody will bring a ship, bring in a fake certificate and say this is the quality.
“When we go ahead, we will say more in the sense that we know where they blend this thing. Some of the terminal and some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened up a blending plant somewhere off Malta. We all know these areas. We know what they are doing. It’s not like we don’t know.
“I have been fighting all my life. Somebody said Mr Dangote I heard that some people came to your hotel to ask for your name and you don’t know who they are. I said yes, they did. Look, I am a very very fearless person. I believe so much in God and I don’t fear anybody. They can do whatever they want and I am not scared, I will fight head-on.”
In reaction to Dangote’s revelation, Mele Kyari posted on his X handle @MKKyari that he is unaware of any NNPCL officials involved in the blending of fuel from Malta.
He said: “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 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.”