The Group Chief Executive of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mr. Mele Kyari, has challenged the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, to name those that own a blending plant in Malta.The challenge is coming on the heels of allegation by Dangote that some staff of the national oil corporation own blending plant in Malta were they import substandard petroleum products into the country.Taking to his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday, Kyari said he does not own a blending plant in Malta, and is unaware of any staff of the NNPCL who owns such a facility in the island country in Europe.The NNPCL boss further asked Dangote to publicly declare NNPC personnel who operate a blending plant in Malta.“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,” Kyari tweeted.Over the weekend, Dangote, Africa’s richest man and the owner of a $20bn refinery in Lagos, said some NNPC personnel and oil traders operate a blending plant in Malta, thereby frustrating local production of petroleum products.Regulatory authorities had questioned the quality of petroleum products produced at the refinery located at the Lekki Free Trade Zone.The foremost industrialist has insisted that the quality of products at his refinery surpasses the ones imported by marketers.He said the bad fuel imported into the country has damaged many cars. “I still stand by what I said. Go to filling stations, you can check the quality. That is the only way,” he said.“We know where they blend these things. 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,” Dangote said.
