Aliko Dangote, the president of Dangote Group and Africa's wealthiest individual, has made a shocking revelation. He claims that certain officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil traders have established blending plants in Malta, a Southern European island nation. From these plants, they allegedly import substandard fuel products into Nigeria.
Speaking at the House of Representatives on Monday, Dangote emphasized that the locations of these blending plants are well-known to all stakeholders. He stated, "Some NNPC officials, traders, and terminal operators have set up blending plants in Malta. We are all aware of these locations and their activities."
Dangote attributed the frequent vehicle problems in Nigeria to the poor quality of imported fuel. He noted that locally produced diesel, on the other hand, meets higher standards than imported fuel. He urged the House of Representatives to establish an independent committee to verify the quality of petrol available in Nigeria, particularly at filling stations.
Dangote expressed concerns about the authenticity of test certificates for fuel quality, questioning the existence of laboratories to support these claims. He requested that the committee take samples from filling stations to determine the true quality of the fuel being sold.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources has initiated an investigation into allegations that local refineries produce inferior products. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had previously stated that the Dangote Refinery lacked government licensing to operate in the country. NMDPRA CEO Farouk Ahmed claimed that Dangote Refinery's products are of lower quality than imported ones, with higher sulfur levels.
However, Dangote Group refuted these claims, asserting that their products surpass the quality of imported fuel. The company spokesperson, Anthony Chiejine, pointed out that Dangote Refinery's diesel production has significantly lower sulfur levels than imported fuel, making the allegations baseless. He also debunked the claim that medium-level sulfur diesel is only suitable for off-road use, stating that this would imply that all imports over the past 20 years have been damaging equipment.