Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has categorically denied owning or operating a blending plant in Malta.
Kyari’s statement comes in response to allegations made by Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, who claimed that NNPC officials run an oil facility in the Mediterranean island nation.
Dangote, addressing the House of Representatives on July 22, also alleged that oil traders and terminals have established a blending plant in Malta.
An oil blending plant is used to blend re-refined oil with additives to create finished lubricant products, though it lacks refining capabilities.
Kyari took to social media on Tuesday to refute these claims, emphasizing his lack of knowledge about any NNPC employee involved in such activities.
“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,” Kyari stated.
“To clarify the allegations regarding the 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.”
Kyari further assured that a blending plant in Malta or anywhere else does not influence NNPC’s business operations. He also promised strict compliance and sanctions for any NNPC employee found to be involved in such activities, recommending that these individuals be publicly identified and reported to relevant government security agencies.
Dangote’s allegations and Kyari’s subsequent denial are the latest developments in a dispute between the mogul and oil industry regulators.
The discord escalated on July 18 when Farouk Ahmed, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), claimed that local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, produce inferior products compared to imported ones.
In response, Dangote tested diesel from his refinery on July 20 during a visit by federal lawmakers, calling for a probe into NMDPRA’s allegations. Lawmakers subsequently launched investigations into the claims on July 22, also probing allegations that international oil companies in Nigeria are frustrating the Dangote refinery’s operations.
To address the ongoing dispute, Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), convened a high-level meeting with Dangote, Ahmed, Kyari, and Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
