The federal government says it has not yet licensed the Dangote Refinery, as it is still at the pre-commissioning stage.
Chief executive officer (CEO) of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, stated this while speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
He also addressed concerns that the agency was trying to scuttle the Dangote refinery project, saying there was nothing like that.
Ahmed, however, admitted that were problems in the supply of petroleum products nationwide.
“Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet. We have not licensed them yet.
“I think they are at about 45 per cent completion. So, we cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation because Dangote is requesting that we should suspend or stop all importation of petroleum products, especially automotive gas oil (AGO) or jet kero and direct all marketers to the refinery,” the NMDPRA CEO stated.
According to him, such a situation would not augur well for the country in terms of energy security and also not good for markets because of monopoly.
“So, in terms of quality, currently, the AGO quality in terms of sulphur is the lowest as far as West Africa’s requirement of 50 ppm,” he said.
Ahmed also stated that “Dangote refinery as well as some major refineries like Waltersmith refinery, produce between 650 to 1200 ppm. So, in terms of quality, their quality is much more inferior to the imported quality.”
Recently, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, alleged that some international oil companies (IOCs) were struggling to supply crude to his refinery and even though the chief executive officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, described the claim as false, the Dangote Group has reiterated its stand that IOCs are frustrating its request to purchase crude feedstock for the Dangote refinery.
