An Indigenous oil company, Matrix Energy Limited, has asked a Federal Capital Territory High Court to restrain two media houses and others from further publishing alleged libellous stories about its oil shipping business.
Matrix and its CEO, Abdulkadir Adisa Aliu, in their court processes, denied any “involvement in colluding with Nigeria’s economic enemies to import adulterated, substandard, or low-quality petroleum products into the country.”
They had earlier responded to reports accusing them of importing substandard petrol into Nigeria, particularly from Malta, insisting that their products meet the required guidelines.
Malta Controversy
The spokesperson for the company, Ibrahim Akinola, in a statement on August 17, 2024, described reports by an online publication that Matrix Energy was behind the importation of petrol from Malta to Nigeria as not entirely accurate.
Nairametrics reported that Aliko Dangote, CEO of Dangote Refinery, recently alleged that certain oil operators are colluding with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to run an illegal blending plant in Malta, a European country, for the purpose of importing substandard petroleum products into Nigeria.
The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC, Mele Kyari, however, denied any ownership or operation of a refinery in Malta, vowing to push for the prosecution of any defaulting NNPC staff and others involved.
Interestingly, Nigeria’s petroleum imports from Malta saw a significant surge in 2023, reaching $2.8 billion.
This is a stark contrast to the years between 2017 and 2022, during which there were no imports, and the mere $13.32 million imported in 2016, raising concerns about Nigeria’s dealings with the small European nation.
In a statement on August 17, 2024, Matrix Energy, which is allegedly reported to be importing from Malta, denied any wrongdoing, adding that its petroleum products meet all regulatory guidelines.
The company stated that it did not discharge 200,000 metric tons of PMS into its facility in July 2024, as claimed by the news report.
The oil company, however, did not deny the importation of petrol from Malta and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the company noted that, like all oil operators in Nigeria, it has the right to source its products from any part of the world, as long as it is not breaking any Nigerian or international law.
“Our Chief Executive Officer, Abdulkabir Adisa, is a talented and dedicated Nigerian with the right to associate freely as well as trade freely in any part of the world. As he stated in his presentation before the Nigerian Senate, we are not aware that Nigerian companies have been banned from bringing in legitimate and standard products from outside the country, and until such a ban is in place, we will continue to serve the public with the best quality products,” the company said.
Matrix heads to Court
The oil firm has now approached the FCT High Court, seeking declaratory reliefs(dated August 21, 2024) against certain publications, including a “retraction” of the reports and over N10 billion in “damages”.
The oil firm’s lawyer, Ahmed Raji SAN, urged the court to hold that the media organization “falsely and maliciously published” the said reports against his clients.
He maintained that his client is a member of the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC), an elite body of eminent Nigerians tasked with developing sustainable ideas to bolster the nation’s economic governance framework and ensure robust and coordinated economic planning and implementation.
What You Should Know
- It was earlier reported that Aliko Dangote, CEO of Dangote Refinery, said that some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil traders have blending plants in Malta, an island country in Southern Europe.
- Dangote claimed that the locations of these blending plants are well-known by all stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.
“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,” Dangote said.
In response, Mele Kyari, the GCEO of NNPCL, debunked the claims of owning a blending plant in Malta or any part of the world.
“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 said in an X post.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s petroleum imports from Malta experienced a remarkable surge in 2023, reaching $2.8 billion, a significant contrast to the absence of imports between 2017 and 2022 and the mere $13.32 million imported in 2016.
This sudden increase has sparked concerns about Nigeria’s trade relations with the small European nation.
The claims by Matrix in court remain allegations, and the court will exercise its discretion on the matter, weighing the evidence presented before it against the relevant Nigerian laws governing the role of the media—the fourth estate of the realm, among others.