ASHENEWS reports that the Dangote Refinery has revealed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) supplies insufficient crude oil for its production demand; hence it is planning to source from Brazil and America.
This is coming amidst the lingering controversy around the alleged sabotage of the largest refinery on the African continent.
The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), alongside NNPCL, have been locked in a dispute, ranging from monopoly allegations to the supply of crude for the refinery, substandard fuel imports, and ownership of blending plants in Malta.
However, Dangote, in a new revelation, said that for the $20 billion refinery to meet its production demand, it must look for other sources of crude oil supply overseas as the NNPCL allocation is insufficient.
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He said the refinery, which has the capacity of refining 650,000 barrels per day, could not depend on the short supply from Nigeria’s oil company.
The Group Chief Commercial Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, Rabiu A. Umar told newsmen in Kano on Friday that NNPC supplies only 33 percent of the crude to the refinery, disclosing that it had to look elsewhere to source the remaining 67 percent to meet its production capacity.
According to Umar, the refinery had concluded plans to supply crude oil from Brazil and America by August.
“First of all, the refinery is here in Nigeria. We have the crude oil here in Nigeria. We thought we would get the crude oil here and refine it here in our refinery for the benefit of the country and the citizens.
“Ironically, the country takes the crude oil overseas for refining while we have a refinery, one of the biggest in the world.
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“So, we will not stay idle. We have to look for other sources to meet our production capacity. If we get the crude oil supply here in the country, we have no reason to go overseas.
“Even now, we are planning to supply crude oil from countries like Brazil and the USA,” he said.
He said the refinery had commenced supplies to foreign countries since February, disclosing that they receive orders from different countries for supply, especially aviation fuel.
The Chief Commercial Officer also revealed that the refinery needs 15 cargos of crude oil in September, but NNPCL promised only 5, lamenting that they see the government’s lackadaisical actions towards the refinery as sabotage.
According to him, the refinery should be celebrated and embraced by the government rather than painted black, as it is the biggest employer of labor with over 50,000 workers at the moment.
He emphasized that, against the government’s false narratives, the refinery had started on a positive note, as the quality of its refined products is world standard.
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He said even the House of Representatives, under the leadership of its speaker, visited the refinery, saw the difference, and was satisfied with the quality of the products.
The official also said, “We are here to defend ourselves, and all the government narratives are not true. We urge the people to take samples of our products to ascertain their quality.
“We will not be deterred by the government’s criticism. We will continue until we reach the promised land.
A business analyst in Kano, Abdussalam Kani, on his part, demanded an apology to Dangote by the federal government and the National Assembly.
He also labeled the NMDPRA boss, Ahmed Farouk’s comments against the refinery as a treasonable offense that deserves punishment.
