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After the allegations made by Alhaji Aliko Dangote regarding officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited having blending plants in Malta, it has been revealed that Nigeria imported fuel worth $2.25bn from Malta over a period of nine years.
Trade Map data shows that in 2023, Nigeria imported petroleum oils obtained from bituminous minerals worth $2.8bn, a significant increase from $47.5m in 2013.
Fuel imports from Malta were $59.98m in 2014, $117.01m in 2015, and $13.32m in 2016. Notably, there were no fuel imports from Malta to Nigeria from 2017 to 2022, but in 2023, there was a substantial increase to $2.08bn.
There is speculation among some Nigerians that Dangote's claims about NNPC personnel owning blending plants in Malta may be true.
In the midst of the controversy surrounding his $20bn refinery, Dangote mentioned that "some of the terminals, some of the NNPC people, and some traders have opened blending plants somewhere off Malta. We all know these areas. We know what they are doing."
However, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, denied having a blending plant outside Nigeria.
He stated that he did not have any business operations outside Nigeria except for a local mini-agric venture and that he was not aware of any NNPC employee having or operating a blending plant in Malta or elsewhere in the world.
