Indigenous and independent oil marketing and trading company, Matrix Energy Group is under serious allegations of importing substandard petroleum products to Nigeria as media reports linked the company to involvement in importing low-quality petroleum from Russia via Malta for blending before shipping it to Nigeria.
Confidential documents obtained by LEADERSHIP showed that there were importations of fuel from Malta to Nigeria between July 14 and August 3, 2024.
According to sources, the petroleum products imported into Nigeria, including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), diesel, and Jet A-1 fuel from Russia via Malta were substandard. Sources said that diesel from Russia is typically off-spec and is often corrected in places like Lome and Malta by blending it with other components.
Matrix Energy Group is owned by Abdulkabir Adisa Aliu, who is also a member of the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC). Aliu serves as the Group Managing Director/CEO and overseas operations at a 150-million-liter capacity depot in Warri, known as Bluefin Depot, three ships (Matrix Pride, Matrix Triumph, Matrix S.ILU), and around 600 trucks.
Sources said Matrix Energy is heavily involved in importing Russian products through various blending locations.
An oil blending plant is a facility that blends re-refined oil with additives to create finished lubricant products. These plants use a variety of equipment to mix the oil and additives, including pumps, tanks, and mixers. It has no refining capability but can be used to blend re-refined oil (a used motor oil that has been treated to remove dirt, fuel, and water) with additives to create finished lubricant products.
According to a Bill of Lading dated July 14, 2024, seen by LEADERSHIP, a little-known company, Poly Pro Trading registered in the Dubai Free Trade Zone shipped petroleum products from Malta to Nigeria. In the Bill of Lading, over 200 million liters of PMS were shipped on the vessel named ROMEOS from Malta to Nigeria. The product was said to be off-specification petrol. According to findings, the company's listed office at OneJLT Towers 05.015, Dubai, is a business center without any physical presence.
The Bill of Lading was signed by Alkas Marine Middle East FZE as agents for and on behalf of Master of MT ROMEOS Captain Richard Torrento.
ROMEOS (IMO: 9326897) is a Crude Oil Tanker and is sailing under the flag of Liberia. Her length overall
(LOA) is 228.6 meters and her width is 32.28 meters.
Sources alleged that Matrix Energy has a link with Poly Pro Trading and ROMEOS to import the fuel to Nigeria through Pinnacle Jetty, Lekki, Lagos adding that Aliu has been leveraging his close connections with top management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) to secure crude oil cargoes for his company from the national oil company.
Energy experts have expressed anger over importation of substandard fuel into the country describing the actions as sabotage and a clear failure of the objectives of the PIA. They asserted that any company found culpable in the illicit act must face the wrath of the law.
Also, according to sources, Aliu is so close to the top officials in the government that his investment in Port Harcourt Refinery is about $ 400 million. He was said to have traveled with the NNPCL top management with President Bola Tinubu on the official visit to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, recently in his own private jet.
An X user, Arewa Daddy wrote that Aliu seems to be a long player in fuel importation/subsidy scam in Nigeria. According to him, he found on the Facebook page of the special fraud unit Lagos dated 12th October 2020, that Aliu was among those being prosecuted for oil subsidy scam then.
In the document sighted by LEADERSHIP, these products arrived in Nigeria on August 3, 2024, and were discharged into a Pinnacle facility at Lekki, as documented by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA).
Nigeria's total import from Malta rose from zero to about N1.03 trillion in 2023, according to an analysis of the foreign trade statistics reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This is as controversy continues to trail the sudden increase in Nigeria's import from the small Southern European country, following a recent accusation by Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, against Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
LEADERSHIP recalls that amid the controversy between Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority, a test supervised by Members of the House of Representatives on diesel from the Dangote Refinery and those imported into the country revealed that the latter's products had excessive sulfur levels. Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, also alleged that a cabal in the oil sector had commissioned blending plants and terminals in Malta for shady dealings.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari had said that he doesn't own any blending plant in Malta or any other part of the world.
However, a cursory review of the NBS reports shows that Nigeria's total import for 2023 was N35.92 trillion, which indicates that about 2.87% of Nigeria's total imports were from Malta, despite no record of any international trade between the two countries in 2022. Also, the import from Malta was 8.41% of the total import from Europe, which was about N12.25 trillion in 2023.
Matrix Energy Group has denied reports that it imported substandard petroleum products to Nigeria. A statement by the Head of Corporate Communications of the firm, Ibrahim Akinola, said the firm had consistently imported products that meet approved specifications.
Matrix statement read in part, "We have never been found wanting in this regard. Our commitment to quality is reflected in the fact that none of our customers has ever rejected our products.
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"Indeed, demand for Matrix products often exceeds our capacity to supply, a testament to our reputation for reliability. This success is equally reflected in our fertilizer businesses.
"Contrary to reports, Matrix Energy has never imported or distributed any substandard cargo in our two decades of operation.
"Our depots boast a storage capacity of 150 million liters of liquid products, including LPG and bitumen. However, contrary to the claims made in the publication, we did not discharge 200,000 metric tons of PMS into our facility in July 2024.
"While we have the capacity and customer base to handle such volumes, Matrix Energy has never imported or distributed any substandard cargo in our two decades of operation."
The statement said the group remained consistent in adhering to the requirements of imported products that meet approved specifications.
"We have never been found wanting. Matrix Energy Group is a wholly indigenous and independent oil marketing and trading company, with substantial investments in strategic infrastructure, including vessels, oil and gas terminals, trucks, and retail outlets across 28 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
"Our company is recognized and approved by global international companies, national oil companies, major construction firms, and various end-users.
"Our consistent ability to deliver on all contracts at competitive prices has solidified our strong position in the industry today".
