By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Mele Kyari, has denied operating or owning a bending plant in Malta.
The president of Dangote Group Limited, Mr Aliko Dangote, had alleged that some officials of the state-owned oil company were preventing the country to refine its crude oil because of their plants outside the country.
Nigeria, which is one of the largest crude oil producers in the world, does not domestically refine this commodity. It imports premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol and other products for local consumption.
Mr Dangote, who took a step to plug this hole, built a refinery in Lagos with the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels per day. However, he is yet to begin supplying petrol to the market because of the non-availability of crude oil to the facility.
He claimed that some powerful persons were frustrating the efforts of his firm to operate optimally because it would wreck the businesses of officials importing fuel into the country.
Reacting to the claims on Tuesday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Mr Kyari emphasised that he does not own any blending facility as alleged, urging Mr Dangote to report such persons to the relevant government agencies for prosecution.
“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 who 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,” the NNPC chief stated.
“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,” Mr Kyari said.