NNPC GCEO responds to Dangote, "I have no blending plant outside of Nigeria."

Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, has declared that he is not the owner of a blending factory located outside of Nigeria.

In response to allegations made by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, that certain NNPC executives owned blending plants in Malta, Kyari made this statement on Tuesday.

Dangote remarked in the midst of the controversy surrounding his $20 billion refinery: “Some terminals, some NNPC employees, and some traders have opened blending plants somewhere off Malta.” All of us are familiar with these regions. Dangote declared, “We are aware of what they are doing.

In response, Kyari posted on his X handle that he had received a ton of calls from friends and family asking if he actually owned a blending factory in Malta.

Except for a small local agricultural enterprise, Kyari said that he does not own or run any businesses elsewhere in the globe, either personally or through a proxy.

Additionally, he stated that he is not aware of any NNPC employee that owns or runs a blending factory in Malta or any other 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.

“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.

“A blending plant in Malta or any part of the world has no influence over NNPC’s business operations and strategic actions.”

If such crimes are actually committed by any NNPC officer, the organization’s head warned to punish them.

“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,” he stated.

In response to claims made by Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, that the diesel produced at the Dangote refinery contained more sulfur than imported diesel, Dangote has been vocal; he has labeled this as an attempt to demarket his refinery.

Ahmed added that in order to break the Dangote monopoly, the nation would keep importing fuel.