The family of President Bola Tinubu has been allegedly linked to the ownership of the Ondo Blending Oil Plant in Malta, known as Raz Hanzir.
Nigeria has been importing petroleum products from Raz Hanzir, which has become a focal point in recent discussions about the country’s fuel imports.
Additionally, it is claimed that Ondo has acquired 100% of the shares in Nigeria Agip Oil Company. According to reports circulating on social media, the key figures involved in these transactions from 2013 to 2023 include:
- Wale Tinubu, Chairman and Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc
- Mofe Boyo, Non-Executive Director and Deputy Executive of Oando Plc
- Olufemi Adeyemo, Non-Executive Director
- Adewale Tinubu Jr., Executive Director
- Omar Faraj, Non-Executive Director
- Mark B. Davis, Non-Executive Director
The issue of Malta’s involvement in Nigerian oil imports gained prominence following allegations by Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group. Dangote claimed that officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) own blending plants in Malta. He stated, “Some of the terminals, some of the NNPC people, and some traders have opened blending plants somewhere off Malta. We all know these areas. We know what they are doing.”
In 2023, Nigeria imported fuel worth $2 billion, according to data from Trade Map. Amid these allegations, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, publicly denied owning any blending plant outside Nigeria. He expressed concern over numerous inquiries from associates and family members regarding his alleged ownership of a blending plant in Malta.
Dangote’s statements followed claims by Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. Ahmed alleged that diesel produced by the Dangote refinery had a higher sulfur content than imported diesel, a claim Dangote dismissed as an attempt to undermine his refinery. Ahmed insisted that Nigeria would continue importing fuel to prevent a Dangote monopoly.
Sources reveal that Ras Hanzir Oil Terminal Limited, engaged in crude oil blending in Malta, lists Oando Plc, a prominent Nigerian energy company involved in oil exploration, production, and trading, as one of its shareholders. In 2014, Oando Plc acquired a stake in Ras Hanzir Oil Terminal Limited, marking it as one of the few Nigerian companies with direct investment in Malta’s oil storage and blending sector.
