In order progressively to replace its Iranian crude suppliers – permanently in conflict with the U.S. – the Indonesian oil company Pertamina, decided to buy its crude from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
It is reported that Indonesia has been importing crude oil from Nigeria, worth US$2.5 billion in 2018. The key person behind this strategic collaboration is no other than the nephew of Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa.
Mohammed Dangote supports the Indonesian public company in securing the supply of several raw cargo ships per month from the NNPC. He is an important instrument in the negotiation between the former Minister of Indonesian BUMN, Rini Soemarno, and the executives of NNPC, in their headquarters in Abuja, in August 2019.
The negotiation took place between Soemarno and her delegation; with Mele Kyari, the NNPC Director, and Abba Kyari, the Director of the cabinet of the President Muhammadu Buhari. The Indonesian ambassador to Abuja, Harry Purwanto, is bizarrely left out of this negotiation loop.
In early 2020, Dangote Group decided to purchase 10,000 Indonesian-made light multipurpose pickup trucks, to be marketed in Nigeria for the logistics purposes of Nigerian farmers.
The Dangote Group is currently led by Aliko Dangote, with Vice President Sani Dangote, who is Mohammed’s father. The name of Aliko Dangote appeared on the list of SwissLeaks, issued by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) concerning tax fraud and money laundering, which would have been put in place by HSBC bank of Switzerland.
His entourage also includes Femi Otedola and Atedo Peterside, the founder of Stanbic IBTC Plc. The two men are among the wealthiest in Nigeria. In late 2018, Mohammed married Sara, the daughter of Fouad Hayel Saeed, the Managing Director of Hayel Saeed’s HSA Group, a conglomerate with various activities present mostly in Africa, the Middle East, and the Southeast Asia.
