Abuja, Nigeria – Documents obtained by SaharaReporters have revealed that Sayyu Dantata, half-brother of billionaire Aliko Dangote and CEO of MRS Holdings Ltd., is one of the key figures importing fuel into Nigeria from Malta. This disclosure follows similar revelations concerning other major players in the Nigerian petroleum industry, such as Matrix Energy Group.
The documents show that MRS Oil & Gas Co. Limited, owned by Dantata, has been importing premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as fuel, from Malta. This comes after recent reports that Matrix Energy Group was also importing fuel from the same European country.
In July, Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, alleged that certain officials within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) were involved in importing substandard petrol products into Nigeria from Malta. He accused these individuals of operating a refinery in Malta, which was producing inferior fuel destined for the Nigerian market.
Dangote remarked, “Even at 650,000 bpm and 700,000 bpm that we are producing was a better quality than what was imported. And I am sure most of you will have problems with your vehicle because of the bad fuel that was imported into the country. I still stand by what I said.”
He further claimed, “Some NNPC people, some traders have opened a blending plant somewhere in Malta. We all know these areas, we know what they are doing.”
In 2023, Nigeria’s petroleum imports from Malta surged to $2.8 billion, a significant jump from previous years where imports were negligible or non-existent. However, NNPCL Group CEO, Mele Kyari, swiftly denied Dangote’s allegations, stating that the company had no involvement with any refinery in Malta.
Despite the denials, further investigations by SaharaReporters and BusinessDay have uncovered a complex scheme involving the importation of substandard Russian petroleum products to Malta, where they are blended with higher-quality fuel before being shipped to Nigeria. This practice has raised concerns about the quality of fuel being distributed in the Nigerian market.
One of the documents obtained by SaharaReporters, dated March 4, 2024, is a letter from Moyosola Kuku, General Manager of Risk Management at MRS Oil & Gas Co. Limited, addressed to the Managing Director of NNPCL. The letter, titled ‘Submission of Shipping/Cargo Documents for Petroleum Product Delivery MT AETHER/SUB with Laycan 17th-19th February 2024,’ provides detailed evidence of fuel importation by MRS from Malta.
The letter referenced attached documents related to MT AETHER, including marine insurance, bill of lading, certificates of quality, and vessel survey reports, among others. These documents confirm that MRS Oil & Gas Co. Ltd purchased 91,219.232 metric tons of unleaded gasoline from PETROCAM DMCC, loaded at the port of OPL Malta, and subsequently sold the full cargo to NNPC for delivery offshore Lagos.
This revelation underscores the significant role that Dantata and other major players in Nigeria’s petroleum industry have in importing refined fuel from Malta, raising further questions about the quality and origin of fuel in the Nigerian market.