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Malta Saga: Calls for independent leadership of NNPCL, oil & gas agencies heighten

President Bola Tinubu has been urged to establish an independent management team for NNPCL.

Agitations are ongoing for the dismissal of the leadership of some of the top oil and gas agencies in the country. [Facebook/Getty Images]

Late in July, the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, alleged that some Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited staff members and oil traders operated a blending plant in Malta, an island nation in Europe.

In a viral video, Dangote 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."

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Following this allegation, the Citizens and Economic Freedom Rights Activists in Nigeria (CEFRAN) have called for a thorough judicial inquiry by the Federal Government to uncover the full extent of fraud in the importation of adulterated fuel into Nigeria.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, CEFRAN Convener Obinna Francis expressed deep concern over Matrix Energy and its partners' actions, accusing them of importing and distributing substandard fuel that poses grave health risks to Nigerians.

Francis was particularly scathing in his criticism of the regulatory heads, including NNPCL's Mele Kyari, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority's Gbenga Komolafe, and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission's Farouq Ahmed, demanding their immediate resignation to pave the way for an impartial investigation.

"It is a profound national embarrassment that Nigeria, the continent's largest oil producer, finds itself beholden to imports of subpar petrol, particularly from a nation like Malta, which lacks indigenous oil refineries," Francis stated.

He highlighted a clandestine scheme where inferior petrol was imported from Russia to Malta for blending before being shipped to Nigeria.

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"This illicit activity threatens our collective health and environmental well-being," he added.

CEFRAN further criticised Matrix Energy for prioritising profits over the welfare and safety of Nigerians, calling out the company's complicity in importing and distributing the adulterated fuel.

"Their actions exemplify a reprehensible disregard for human life," Francis noted.

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In addition to calling for the suspension of Abdulkabir Adisa Aliu, owner of Matrix Energy and member of the Presidential Economic Coordination Council, CEFRAN urged President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent management team for NNPCL.

This team would oversee a thorough investigation into the adulterated fuel scandal, ensuring accountability and justice.

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