Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has disclosed that some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, oil traders and terminals have blending plants in Malta.
Dangote made the allegation during an appearance at the House of Representatives on Monday.
An oil blending plant has no refining capability but can be used to blend re-refined oil (a used motor oil that has been treated to remove dirt, fuel, and water) with additives to create finished lubricant products.
The Africa’s richest man stated that the areas of the blending plants are known.
“Some of the terminals, some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened a blending plant somewhere off Malta,” he said.
“We all know these areas. We know what they are doing.”
Addressing the drop in diesel prices, the billionaire said the diesel produced locally at 650 parts per million (ppm) and 700 ppm is of better quality than imported fuel.
The billionaire said many vehicle issues in the country can be associated with “substandard” imported fuel.
He urged the leadership of the house of representatives to set up an independent committee to verify the quality of petrol available at filling stations.
“I want you to set up a committee that will come with every representative headed by your chosen honourable member to come and lead in taking samples from filling stations because I must tell you today that all the test certificates that people are busy floating around, where are the labs? Even if they have the labs, I can tell you they are fake certificates,” he said.
“The real one that you now know that they are right is to take from the filling station and also come and take from our production line. Now, you will be able to tell Nigerians that this is it.”
On Monday, the house of representatives joint committee on petroleum resources (downstream and midstream) launched a probe into claims that local refineries, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, produce inferior products.
The committee is also investigating the allegations that the international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria are frustrating the survival of the Dangote refinery.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Dangote refinery have been embroiled in a dispute that began recently.
