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The Presidency on Saturday absolved Abdulkabir Adisa, a member of President Bola Tinubu‘s Economic Coordination Council, of involvement in the alleged importation of bad fuel from Malta to Nigeria.
It said it would be wrong to accuse Aliu of importing bad fuel into the country, having been in the petrol business for over 20 years, and.
Recall that Aliko Dangote, the Chairman of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, had accused officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL), oil traders and terminals, of owning a blending plant in Malta.
Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, denied Dangote’s claim, a report from The Cable disclosed that Aliyu is one of the biggest importers of petrol from Malta.
However, Aliu denied any wrongdoing in his business practices.
Also,Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement via X on Saturday, weighed into the matter, saying Aliu has been an active player in the downstream sector, which had nothing to do with being a member Tinubu’s economic council.
“It appears @thecableng just wants to create a storm in a teacup because I can’t seem to understand the link between where Matrix Energy imports petroleum products from and the Chief Executive’s membership of President Tinubu’s Economic Council,” Ajayi said.
“The man has been in the business for over 20 years. It is not enough to accuse someone of importing bad fuel into the country without evidence just because another businessman, seeking to protect his own turf, made the allegation.
“Matrix is an active player in the downstream sector. Whatever business arrangement the company has with NNPC has been on for many years before the current administration that is barely a year old.
“The company runs over 150 retail stations across the country and is reported to have three vessels for its operations. Matrix Energy, arguably, owns one of the largest independent product storage facilities in Nigeria.
“Certainly, it wasn’t the CEO’s membership of President Bola Tinubu’s Economic Council that made him an active player in the sector where he has operated for over twenty years.”
The presidential aide noted that the Economic Council comprised accomplished business leaders.
“Members of President Tinubu’s Economic Council are drawn up from leaders of big businesses in critical sectors of the economy. Other members of the Council announced on March 27, 2024 include Mr. Segun Agbaje, Group CEO of GTBank Holding Company, Aliko Dangote, Mrs. Funke Okpeke, Tony Elumelu, Patrick Okigbo, Ms Amina Maina, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Dr. Doyin Salami among others.”
