A few days after the founder of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, alleged that some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited have blending plants in Malta, indications have emerged that Nigeria imported fuel worth $2.25bn from the foreign country in nine years. According to information on Trade Map, Nigeria imported petroleum oils obtained from bituminous minerals worth $2.8bn in 2023, jumping by a 342 per cent increase from $47.5m in 2013.

Nigeria imported fuel worth $59.98m in 2014; $117.01m in 2015 and $13.32m in 2016. It was observed that from 2017 to 2022, there was no fuel importation into Nigeria from Malta.