By Lateeff Adegbite
Barely one year after the take off the 19 billion , Dangote refinery at the Lekki Free Trade Zone, LFTZ, in Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve centre, the battle line appears to have been drawn between the multi-billionaire business mogul and philanthropist, Aliko Dagote and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, now baptized Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, with the signing into Law of the Petroleum Bill, passed into Law by the National Assembly by former President Muhammadu Buhari in August , 2021.
The Kano state born business mogul who wants to protect his business and dominate the Nigerian Petroleum market by ensuring that the Nigerian Government stop the importation of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol and other products into the Nigerian Market, has accused some staff members of the Nigerian oil octopus and the local oil traders of operating a blending plant in Malta Island and some countries in Europe.
An aggrieved Dangote who could not hide his feelings was said to have told the duo, Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker, in the red Chamber, who had paid him a visit at the weekend in his Lagos office had exposed some staff of Mele Kolo Kyari led NNPCL, whose names are still shrouded in secrecy and of the major marketing Companies of messing up the Nigerian petrol market by importing lo quality product.
The Kano state born investor was said to have made it clear to the Leadership of the red of the red Chamber that there was o basis for the importation of PMS, and other petroleum products like diesel, Dulal Purpose Kerosenre and Aviation Turbine Kerosene, ATK, into Nigeria, the most populous country in the African Continent, because the quality of products produced in the company’s multi-billion North American country of the United States, US, dollars was far better quality than the ones imported by NNPCL and the other local traders.
Dangote may have shocked the Leadership of the 10th House of Representatives when he disclosed that ‘’the bad fuel imported into the country has damaged so many cars and till causing more pains to motorists. He was said to have challenged the House Leadership to visit some of the filling stations at Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and across other major cities in Nigeria, to investigate the quality of PMS, and other products sold to the motorists to compare it with what is produced in Dangote’s 650,000 b/d refinery which pundits had said are substandard.
Many believe that Dangote could open up on Staff because he has been transacting business with the company for years and knows much about their operations and importations of products from Malta Island and Europe.
Hear him: We know where they blend theses imported products into the country. We all know the areas, off Mallta Island and Europe where the NNPC staff and some of the local traders had opened their blending plant to sustain products importation into the country and further kill the local refineries.
Kayari, NNPCL, Group Managing Director, would not take it from Dangote as he was said to have challenged him to be bold enough to publicly name the top officials who operate blending plants off Malta Island.
The NNPC, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, who was said to have told those that cares to listen that he does not a blending in Malta Island or by proxy anywhere in the world with the exception of a local mini Agric venture, had said that he does not know of any Staff of the company who owns a blending facility in Malta Island or any part of Europe.
In a post in his official X, formerly Titter, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, the tall-looking Borno state born NNPCL, Group Managing Director, may have sent a message to the Dangote Industries President that he is inundated by enquiries from family members, friends and associates both within and outside the country on the public declaration of the multi-billionaire business mogul from the ancient city of Kano that some NNPCL Staff have established blending plant , off Malta Island, thereby impeding procurements from local production of product.
Appealing to Nigerians to disregard Dangot’s Open declarations that some staff of NNPC, Operate blending plant off Malta Island, he was said to have stated clearly that ‘’a blending plant in Malta Island or any part of Europe, United Kingdom, Asian country of China or the US, has no influence whatsoever, over the company’ business operations and strategic actions.
He noted that itd compliance sanction grid shall apply to any of the company staff found to have established or being involve in operating a blending plant in Malta Island or any part of the world .
He had said that if there is any such person in the employ of NNPCL, under his Leadership, the names of the Staff would be made public and reported to the relevant government security agencies including the Department of State Services, DSS, under the close watch of YUSUF Magaji Bichi for further investigations and necessary actions in view of the grave implications for national energy security.
Given the sour relationship beteen Dangote and NNPCL, Leadership, over alleged claims by the President, Dangote Industries that some officials of the oil octopus operate blending plant in Malta Island, Europe and other part of the world, may have informed why Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister of Education, during Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration and public analysts has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who incidentally was a former governor of Lagos state to immediate use the instrumentality of Nigeria Extractive Transparenc Initiative, NEITI, to launch an independent audit of the business dealings between NNPC and Dangote Refinery to offer the Nigerian public the true state of things.
There are rumours making the rounds that NNPCL, had capped its equity in the Dangote Petroleum Refinery at 7.2% instead of the original 20% agreement. Dangote, President Dangote Industries may have shocked Nigerians when he averred that that the state-owned oil company did not pay the balance of its equity in the company up till last year but gave them another extension up till June 2024.
Kyari led NNPCL, response that the company would not make any further payment beyond what it has already paid , which is the 7.2% shares in the company and not 20% as earlier agreed as it was ready to invest further on the Dangote refinery.
Dangote had recalled that former President Buhari’s Government had borrowed US$3.3 billion from Afriexim Bnk to take care of the country’s stake in the multi-billion Dangote refinery . The worry of Dangote and other concernmed Nigerians was : How can a project which by all definition has attained the stature of a national interest be abandoned midway by NNPCL, in full glare of the Local and international investing community.
The ongoing controversy between Dangote and NPCL, over allegations that some staff of the company operate blending plant in Malta Island and other parts of the world to sabotage the Dangote refinery may be one out of many such allegations.
The Dangote refinery Management had accused the Multinational Oil Companies, MNOCs, of alsofrustrating its refinery project by insisting on selling crude oil to it refinery through their foreign agents. The Dangote Refinery Management had made the public to know the MNOCs, trading arms offer cargoes at $2 to $4 per barrel above the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, official price.
The Dangote Refinery Authorities had alleged that the MNOCs, seemed to be priotising the Asian countries, particular, China and India, in selling the crude hey produced in Nigeria instead of the local refineries for their own pecuniary gains. The Company had confirmed that it paid $96.23 per barrel for a crgo of Bonga crude grade in April 202, including freight rate.
Nigerians are watching to see how Dangote refinery would survive the various plots by the NPCL, Staff who allegedly operate blending plants at Malta Island and other parts of the world including moves by the MNOCs, to use the price of crude oil in the international oil market to frustrate the Dangote refinery operations would work out in the short and long run.
