Kyari replies Dangote, says he doesn’t own blending plant in Malta

Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, says he does not own a blending plant in Malta.

Kyari spoke on Tuesday in response to claims by Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, that officials of the NNPC operate an oil facility in Malta — an island country located in the central Mediterranean Sea.

Apart from the NNPC personnel, Dangote, who addressed the house of representatives on July 22, also alleged that oil traders and terminals have opened a blending plant in the island nation.

An oil blending plant has no refining capability but can be used to blend re-refined oil (a used motor oil that has been treated to remove dirt, fuel, and water) with additives to create finished lubricant products.

Speaking in a post on social media, Kyari said he is not aware of any NNPC employee that operates such a plant in the aforementioned country.

“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,” he 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.”

Dangote’s allegation and Kyari’s denial are offshoots of a discord that has lingered for days between the mogul and oil industry regulators.

The dispute had peaked on July 18, when Farouk Ahmed, the chief executive officer of NMDPRA, said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, produce inferior products compared to the ones imported into the country.

Dangote denied the allegations by testing diesel from his refinery on July 20 when federal lawmakers visited the plant. He also called for a probe into the allegations of the NMDPRA.

The lawmakers, on July 22, launched investigations into claims that local refineries, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, produce inferior products.

They said allegations that the international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria are frustrating the survival of the Dangote refinery will also be probed.

In attempts to address the dispute, Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state petroleum resources (oil), recently met with Dangote, Ahmed, and Kyari. Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), was also present.