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By Adewale Sanyaolu
The Dangote Petrochemical Refinery has disclosed that it has 312 million litres of petrol in its storage tanks and in addition to its ongoing daily production
The company also dismissed recent claims that the refinery was facing operational or crude supply problems, describing the claims as “completely wrong” and an attempt to discredit the its progress.
Speaking with journalists during a tour of the refinery, Vice President, Oil and Gas, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, disclosed that the incidents of sabotage were targeted at disrupting production and damaging equipment, but were all successfully contained, thanks to the refinery’s advanced safety systems.
“We have been under repeated attacks. Initially, they said the refinery would never come up. Then, they said it would not be commissioned or start production. Later, they spread false news about gas supply problems. Now, they are trying to insinuate operational breakdowns. None of that is true,” Edwin said.
He revealed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has recorded 22 incidents of attempted sabotage since it began operations last year, insisting that the recent reorganisation at the refinery has nothing to do with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The reorganisation, which affected approximately 800 workers, triggered a strike initiated by PENGASSAN before it was suspended following the federal government’s intervention.
With a processing capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the plant is capable of meeting Nigeria’s entire demand for petrol, diesel (AGO), and aviation fuel (Jet A1), while still exporting nearly 50 per cent of its products.
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There are reports that countries in Africa are bracing up for petrol market supply shortages with the regional market tightening as the Dangote plant reportedly slashed crude oil purchases in recent weeks amid operational challenges.
The refinery is set to buy fewer than 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in October, Bloomberg reported last week, citing vessel-tracking data and allocation lists.
That’s half compared to the over 600,000 bpd purchases in July.
Former presidential aide and social media influencer, Reno Omokri, who visited the refinery, said Nigerians have no option but to support the refinery to succeed.
“In less than a year, 650 ships have come here to load petroleum products for export. That’s an incredible achievement,” he said.
Omokri noted that the true strength of a nation’s currency lies not in its volume, but in the productive and export capacity of its economy.
“What matters most for Nigerians is not the amount of money we have, but the value of that money. The naira in your wallet will not have value if we do not export or replace imports with locally made goods and services,” he stated.
