Millions of Nigerians stranded as fuel scarcity hit fuel stations due to NNPC imported toxic fuel
The importation of 100 million litres of high-sulphur, dirty fuel by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC has left millions of Nigerians with the short end of the stick after petrol stations shuttered in protest of the contaminated petroleum product.
Since Tuesday, millions of Nigerians in Lagos and Abuja have had to contend with long queues at petrol stations, even as commuters contended with exorbitant fares.
An investigation by a popular investigative journalist, David Hundeyin has now revealed that the adulterated petrol was shipped to Nigeria by a certain Duke Oil, an unknown trading subsidiary of the state oil giant.
This Duke Oil Company Inc. is apparently separate from the Duke Oil Services registered in the United Kingdom, with registration number: 03646098, with its registered address listed as Capitol House, 159 Hammersmith Road, London, W6 8BS, and listed as a Private Limited Company and incorporated on October 7, 1998, as an offshore subsidiary of the NNPC.
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The Duke Oil that imported the dirty fuel was registered during the former military head of state, Ibrahim Babangida’s administration in 1989 in a tax haven and money laundering paradise of Panama.
This Duke Oil Company Inc., which most of us had never heard of until today, is the SOLE IMPORTER of petrol into Nigeria,” on behalf of the NNPC and “has its operations shrouded in total secrecy”, according to Hundeyin.”
Duke Oil, “has no physical office in Panama and routes its business through a Panamanian law firm Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee” – the same law firm best remembered for their notoriety with offshore money laundering schemes for third world country government officials in the Pandora Papers Leak.
Out of the 11 persons on the board of Duke Oil, 8 are Nigerians including the current Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari who was identified as the President in the registration document. Other directors are Muhammadu kudu Suleiman, who is Deputy Manager at the NNPC; Umar Isa Ajiya, the Chief Financial Officer of the NNPC as well as Adokiye Tombomieye, the Manager, Gas & Power Directorate at the NNPC.
Others include Lawal Sade, who is the MD, NNPC Trading Company, Lawrencia Nwadiabuwa Ndupu, the former Chief Operations Officer at NNPC, Philomena Ikoko, who has been on the board of Duke Oil Services UK, for the past 17 months and Stephen Adekunle Adegun.
