Current investigations have uncovered a regarding operation involving the importation of substandard petrol from Malta into Nigeria, Africa’s main oil producer.

The corporate allegedly behind the Malta import is Matrix Power, a Nigerian agency with each upstream and downstream operations. The corporate is owned and operated by Abdulkabir Aliu, who additionally serves on the Presidential Financial Coordination Council (PEEC), tasked with enhancing Nigeria’s financial governance.

How unhealthy petrol from Malta reaches Nigeria

Paperwork leaked to BusinessDay point out that Matrix Power has been importing poor-quality petrol from Russia, which is then blended in Malta—a nation with out its personal oil refineries—earlier than being despatched to Nigeria.

This course of includes diluting lower-quality gas with better-grade petrol, making a ultimate product that falls beneath the required security and high quality requirements. Such practices have raised important considerations concerning the protection and high quality of gas out there to Nigerian customers.

Matrix Power manages important property, together with the Bluefin Depot in Warri with a capability of 150 million liters, three growing older vessels—Matrix Delight, Matrix Triumph, Matrix S.ILU—and about 600 vans.

“They’re very lively within the import of Russian merchandise via varied mixing places,” revealed an insider within the delivery business.

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The Russian Combine

Transport knowledge has proven that Matrix Power vessels, just like the ‘MT Kallos,’ have been loading off-spec petrol from ships arriving from Novorossiysk, Russia. 

“The dimensions of that is alarming,” acknowledged Kelvin Emmanuel, an power knowledgeable. He highlighted the authorized complexities as a result of Russia’s exclusion from the worldwide banking system.

“Initially, Russia was excommunicated from the swift international banking framework of practically 12,000 banks — which suggests Russian banks can not open letter of credit score for exports, which makes any oil and gasoline transaction between Nigerian firms and Russian refineries unlawful,” he mentioned.

On June 16, 2024, the vessel ‘Matrix Triumph’ offloaded 15,000 tons of petrol at Matrix’s Warri jetty. This petrol was subsequently discovered to be off-spec and never correctly handled. 

This discovering was corroborated throughout a go to by the Home of Representatives to the Dangote Refinery on July 20, 2024, the place diesel samples from Matrix stations had been examined and located to have sulphur ranges of two,653 ppm—far exceeding the permissible restrict of fifty ppm.

One other supply mentioned: “Diesel from Russia is often offspec and is commonly corrected in locations like Lome and Malta by mixing with different parts. On this case, there was no correction finished because the vessel instantly transloaded into Matrix ships instantly upon arrival at offshore Lome on 16 June.”

Malta’s Important Function

Malta has emerged as a vital European hub for the mixing and transferring of sanctioned Russian oil, significantly as different European nations have ceased such operations. 

A leaked vessel arrival ullage report from the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) additionally revealed that the Pinnacle Oil and Gasoline FZE terminal, managed by Robert Dickerman, acquired petroleum merchandise from Malta supposed for NNPC Retail. 

“The product was for an NNPC retail, sourced from NNPC buying and selling which buys from buying and selling firms. Matrix Power is a kind of buying and selling firms,” disclosed a supply.

In July 2024, roughly 200,000 tons of gasoline from Malta had been allegedly discharged right into a jetty owned by Matrix Power, accounting for about 25% of Nigeria’s month-to-month PMS consumption—a considerable quantity for an organization with solely 150 retail stations.

Well being implications of unhealthy petrol

The importation of substandard petrol has dire implications for public well being. In line with a report by the Stakeholder Democracy Community (SDN), the poor high quality of gas considerably impacts public well being and the surroundings, significantly within the Niger Delta area. 

The SDN’s analysis underscores the pressing want for stringent regulation, as the present lax requirements enable dangerous, low-quality petrol to enter the Nigerian market, decreasing life expectancy and compromising public well being.