Nigeria’s petroleum products imports from Malta hit $2.317 billion in four years.
This is according to a report by Statisense which was sighted by New Telegraph on Thursday,
Statisense is a leading AI data company specializing in financial report analysis, bank statement evaluation, and AI chatbot services.
The report which was released on the X of Statisense revealed Nigeria’s petroleum products’ imports from the South European island in the last 10 years, from 2013- 2023.
The data showed that from 2013-2016, Nigeria’s imports from Malta were $237.81 million. The report showed that Nigeria did not import any petrol products from Malta from 2017-2022.
However, Nigeria’s import from Malta, in 2023 rose to $2.08 billion representing 342 per cent of the $47.5 million import recorded in 2013.
The United Nations Comtrade database on international trade also showed that Nigeria’s petroleum products imports from Malta were $2.25 billion in the same period.
Also, the National Bureau of Statistics data in the third Quarter of 2023 showed Malta was among the top five import destinations for Nigeria.
President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, recently alleged that some personnel of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), oil traders and terminals have opened a blending plant in Malta.
It was learnt that 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.
Dangote said: “Some of the terminals, some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened a blending plant somewhere off Malta. We all know these areas. We know what they are doing.”
But Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari, who said he was unaware of such, requested that, if true, perpetrators should be named for appropriate action.
He said: “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, that 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.
“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.”