EXPOSED: Dangote’s Brother, Sayyu Dantata, Among Importers of ‘Dirty’ Petrol From Malta

The half-brother of the African richest man Aliko Dangote, Sayyu Dantata, has been revealed as one of the importers of petroleum products from Malta.

Dantata is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of MRS Oil and Gas.

Documents published by Daily Nigerian revealed that MRS imported fuel into Nigeria in February through the vessel ‘MT AETHER’.

Last month, Aliko Dangote, founder of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, revealed that some officials of NNPC and oil traders have blending plants in Malta, where they produce and import dirty petroleum products that are brought to Nigeria for consumption.

The newspaper also said in separate letters dated March 4 and addressed to the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory (NMDPRA) and the CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), MRS confirmed that it had purchased 91,219.232 Mt Vac (MTV) of unleaded petrol 91 research octane number (RON) from PETROCAM DMCC.

The letter was said to have been signed by Moyosola Kuku, MRS Oil’s General Manager (GM) of Risk Management.

Findings revealed that unleaded petrol is a premium motor spirit (PMS) that has not been treated with a lead compound, which is included in petrol to serve as an ‘antiknock agent’ which improves the efficiency of vehicles and the performance of the engine.

On the other hand, RON is a measure of petrol stability, and the higher an octane number is, the more stable the petrol, as the octane rating tells you how resistant the petrol is to detonation, known as knocking or pinking, it was revealed. RON 91–94 is considered premium petrol, it was learned.

The MRS GM said the product was loaded at the port of OPL MALTA, onto ‘MT AETHER’.

The letter reads thus: “We hereby confirm that MRS Oil and Gas Co. Ltd. purchased 91,219.232 Mt Vac of unleaded gasoline 91 Ron from PETROCAM DMCC, was loaded at the port of OPL Malta onto vessel MT AETHER with bill of lading dated 19/02/2024 as evidenced by the following documents attached, bill of lading, cargo manifest, certificate of origin, and certificate of quantity,” the letter reads.

“In line with the February 2024 spot gasoline supply contract, we subsequently sold full cargo on board MT AETHER [91.219.232 MTV] to NNPC for delivery offshore Lagos.

“We remain at your disposal for any further information you might require.”

MRS Oil and Gas, in another letter dated March 4 2024, and sent to the Managing Director of NNPC Trading Limited, also confirmed the sale of full cargo on board MT AETHER to Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited for delivery offshore Lagos.

The letter was titled ‘Confirmation of Sale of Cargo to Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’.

“We MRS Oil and Gas Co. Ltd., hereby confirm that we sold full cargo on board MT AETHER (91,219.232 MTV) with bill of lading dated 19/02/2024 to NNPC for delivery offshore Lagos,” said the letter.

“We remain at your disposal for any further information you might require.”

Last month, a dispute broke out between Dangote Refinery and regulators when the CEO of NMDPRA Farouk Ahmed, said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, produce inferior products compared to the ones imported into the country.

Dangote, on July 20, denied the allegations by testing diesel from his refinery when federal lawmakers visited the plant.

The African richest man also called for an investigation into the allegations of the NMDPRA.

Subsequently, Dangote went ahead to accuse “some officials of NNPC” and oil traders of owning blending plants in Malta, where they produce and import off-spec petroleum products that are brought to Nigeria for consumption.

The Group CEO of NNPC, Malam Mele Kyari, immediately denied Dangote’s allegations, saying he did not have interests in any plant in Malta.

 Seyi Tinubu, Chagoury's Son Co-own Company

The Nigerian president’s son owned an offshore company with the son of a tycoon who recently received the contract to build a 700-kilometer highway spanning the West African country’s coast, leaked corporate documents reveal.

The contract was awarded without any public bidding process, and a minister told OCCRP the government is now facing a legal challenge.

In May, the government announced the first phase of building by Hitech Construction Company Ltd., which is a subsidiary of a conglomerate owned by the brothers Ronald and Gilbert Chagoury. 

Hitech Construction has been awarded the contract for the entire project, which will cost an estimated $13 billion, with funding to be secured as it progresses.

Activists and opposition politicians lambasted the deal, arguing that it violated regulations because it was not done through a public tender. Minister of Works David Umahi said the government is fighting a legal battle in relation to the highway.

“The entire process is before the court,” he said in a text message to OCCRP.

Critics also highlighted the longstanding business dealings and friendship between the Chagoury brothers and President Bola Tinubu. Umahi said the relationship played no role in the construction contract.

“The Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway procurement followed due process and the president hasn’t any hand in the award or execution,” he said.

The association between Tinubu and the Chagoury brothers is well known to Nigerians. But OCCRP has discovered that the younger generation also had a corporate relationship.

The president’s son, Oluwaseyi Tinubu, was a majority shareholder in an offshore company alongside Ronald Chagoury Jr, who shares a name with his father. The firm was incorporated eight years ago in the British Virgin Islands.

The BVI offers corporate anonymity, but the involvement of the two men was revealed in company documents leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The current ownership of the BVI firm is unknown.

Oluwaseyi Tinubu and Ronald Chagoury Jr did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the Chagoury Group.

Ayotunde Abiodun of SBM Intelligence, a Nigeria-based risk consultancy firm, said public officials and their close relatives are expected to avoid conflicts of interest in order to uphold public trust.

He added that the business and personal relationships between the Tinubu and Chagoury families fuels suspicion among Nigerians due to “systemic corruption and pervasive lack of accountability within the country's governance.”

Nigeria last year ranked 145 out of 180 countries on an annual index measuring perceptions of corruption, which is published by the advocacy group Transparency International. A country perceived to have the lowest corruption level is ranked at 1.

Graft has long plagued Nigeria, and Gilbert Chagoury was convicted in Switzerland in 2000 of laundering money for the country’s former military dictator, Sani Abacha. 

The relationship between Nigeria’s current president and the Chagoury brothers goes back to at least 2007 when Tinubu was governor of Lagos State. That year, Tinubu’s administration granted the Chagoury Group title to 10-million square meters of land on the seashore of the country’s commercial capital, Lagos

Hitech Construction is now building Eko Atlantic City on that land, which is held by South Energyx, a Chagoury Group subsidiary where the younger Ronald serves as vice-chairman. The highway begins at Eko Atlantic City, running south down the coast to Calabar, in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

In February, the government approved 1 trillion Nigerian naira (about $670 million depending on currency fluctuations) in funding for Hitech to build the first 47 kilometers of road. The government plans to provide up to 30 percent of the funding for the entire project, Umahi has said, with Hitech expected to raise the rest.

President Tinubu said the highway would boost Nigeria’s economy and “provide 30 million people with improved access to production and marketing centers.”

In a May statement, he also “applauded” the Chagoury brothers “for being worthy stakeholders and for believing in the future of Nigeria.”

 Akure Popular Food Vendor Hacked To Death, 5 Days After Her 54th Birthday 

A popular caterer and Chief Executive of Country Kitchen, in Akure, Ondo State, Mrs. Olakunbi Adene, has reportedly been hacked to death by some unknown assailants, five days after celebrating her 54th birthday.

Source said, the victim was killed at her residence along Oda Road, in Akure metropolis

Her lifeless body was discovered on her bed by her neighbours, who later informed the caretaker of the house.

A family source, who spoke with newsmen, said: “The mother of two was hale and hearty with no sign of illness few days before she was sent to her early grave by her killers. Her lifeless body was found in a pool of blood on her bed with no trace of her killers.

“It was just five days ago that she marked her 54th birthday, she entertained many visitors in her residence and served assorted wine and drinks to her guests.”

Speaking with newsmen, the deceased’s husband, Dele Adene said the news of his wife’s demise came to him as a rude shock.

Adene said: “I was told that my wife’s corpse was found on her bed in a pool of blood, which showed she was hacked to death.

“I cannot believe that no arrest has been made up till the moment of talking to you. I feel suspects should have been arrested.

“Her phone should be tracked and I don’t know how dwellers in the building did not know such thing happened in a house with four flats apartment.”

Also, the deceased’s daughter, Tejumade, said it was the caretaker of the house where her mother lived, that called to inform her that she was found dead in a pool of blood.

Meanwhile, the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the mortuary in Akure.

Contacted, the state police imagemaker, Funmi Odunlami confirmed the killing, saying: “I am aware of the incident and an investigation is currently ongoing.” She said 

 Lagos Won’t Allow Another #EndSARS

- Gov Sanwo-Olu Warns Ahead Of Hunger Protest

The governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has warned that the state will not allow the 2020 #EndSARS protest to repeat itself. 

The governor gave the warning while addressing residents of the state on Wednesday, July 31 ahead of the August 1 nationwide protest over hunger and hardship.

In his address, the governor noted that the 10-day protest cannot achieve what economic reforms can achieve in weeks and months while citing the destruction of valuables as losses the state is still counting.

“Reflecting on the tragic events of the EndSARS protest in 2020, it began peacefully but was later hijacked, resulting in immense destruction and loss. We will NOT allow history to repeat itself. During the protests, we saw the destruction of valuable properties and institutions: Lagos High Court, 45 police stations, 12 Local Government offices, 7 Fire Stations, and the Forensic Centre, among others.

"The City Hall, Nigeria Ports Authority headquarters, and traditional rulers’ palaces were also destroyed. Malls, shops, offices, and hundreds of brand-new BRT buses were lost. Such devastation only sets us back economically and socially.”

While admitting that indeed Nigeria is experiencing challenges, he said the Tinubu-led government is working to address them and alleviate Nigerians’ pain.

“For weeks, we’ve faced the prospect of protests aimed at ending what some call ‘bad government’. While the intentions may be noble, some narratives suggesting it’s a means to change the government by non-constitutional means are troubling. Is a protest the catalyst for progress we need now? Will it ensure our challenges vanish in ten days? Will it lower food prices or inspire economic growth? I strongly believe it won’t. Instead, it could undo the modest gains we’ve made,” he admonished.

 

 BREAKING: #EndBadGovernance Protest Postponed Due to Security Concerns

In a sudden turn of events, the organizers of the #EndBadGovernance protest have announced the postponement of the planned demonstration, citing prevailing security threat conditions.

The protest, which was initially scheduled for tomorrow, has been rescheduled for October 1, amidst concerns for the safety of participants.

In a statement released earlier today, the organizers stated that they “can no longer guarantee the security of lives of Nigerians who will come out tomorrow” and have made the “difficult decision” to postpone the protest.

The statement emphasized that “the safety of our citizens is paramount, and we cannot compromise on that.”

The organizers have assured that they will continue to monitor the situation and work towards a peaceful and secure protest on the new date.