Dangote vs NNPC: Nigeria’s petrol import from Malta surges by 342% to $2.08bn

Nigeria’s petroleum products import from Malta increased by 342 percent in 2023 to $2.08 billion amid an allegation by the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote that officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited own blending plants in Malta.

Statisense disclosed this in data released through its X account outlining Nigeria’s petroleum imports in the last 10 years from 2013- 2023.

The data synchronized with that of Trade Map, a global database on International trade.

Further analysis of the data showed that from 2013-2016, Nigeria’s exports from the South European island of Malta stood at around $237.81 million.

However, from 2017-2022, Nigeria did not import any petrol products from Malta.

Meanwhile, most recently, in 2023 Nigeria’s import from Malta swelled to $2.08 billion, according to Statisense data.

This represents 342 percent of the $47.5 million import recorded in 2013.

Nigeria’s imports from Malta stood at $2.25 billion in the same period, according to the United Nations Comtrade database on international trade.

Further insights from the National Bureau of Statistics data in the third Quarter of 2023 showed Malta was among the top five import destinations for Nigeria.

In Q3 alone, Nigeria’s import worth from Malta alone stood at N561.37 billion.

However, in Q1 and 2, Malta was not among the top five import destinations for Nigeria.

The data comes amid Chairman Dangote’s allegation on Monday that some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and oil traders owe blending plants in Malta from where they import substandard products into Nigeria.

“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.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, dismissed Dangote’s claim.

He denied knowing of any blending plant in Malta, adding that he does not know of any employee of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited who owns a plant in Malta.

“To clarify the allegations regarding the blending plant, I do not own or operate any business directly or by proxy anywhere in the world except 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 through his official X account on Tuesday.

The Publisher Nigeria reports that in the past few days, Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority have been embroiled in a dispute over the latter’s comment.

The Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed claimed that diesel from Dangote Refinery is of inferior quality compared to imported ones.

The accusation had spurred a wide range of outrage from Nigerians leading to a call for the suspension of the NMDPRA boss by the House of Representatives pending investigation into the matter.

The development comes on Dangote’s announcement that his refinery would commence fuel supply in the Nigerian domestic market from August 2024.