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In a damning ruling, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA) has declared the quality of petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery, as well as those from other refineries such as Watersmith, Aradel, as inferior to imported products.
This comes even as the agency revealed that the 650,000 barrels per day refinery has not been granted an operational permit by the NMDPRA.
That’s according to NMDPRA Chief Executive Farouk Ahmed in a recent interview with reporters, a video of which is currently circulating on X.
He noted that the Lagos-based Dangote Refinery was still in the pre-commissioning stage and about 45 percent had been completed.
Ahmed added that the country cannot risk dependence on the Dangote Refinery by suspending imports of petroleum products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil and Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK).
He said: “Not so. The Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed. We have not given the license. I think the construction is about 45 percent complete.
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“We cannot depend on one refinery to supply the country’s needs, because Dangote asked us to suspend or stop imports, especially AGO and DPK, and direct all marketers to his refinery. That is not good for the country in terms of energy security, and it is not good for the market because of the monopoly.”
Ahmed said that in terms of quality, Dangote’s AGO (diesel) currently has the lowest quality in terms of sulphur content, failing to meet the West African requirement of 50 parts per million (PPM).
“Dangote Refinery, as well as some modular refineries such as Watersmith Refinery and Aradel Refinery, produce between 650 and 1,200 PPM. Therefore, in terms of quality, their products are far inferior to imported products,” he said.
This development follows claims by Dangote Refinery that marketers were importing substandard petroleum products into the country, a claim that has been denied by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
This also comes amid criticism of the Nigerian government for continuing to push crude oil exports and refined product imports. Many are asking why the government continues to spend money on the country’s four oil refineries that have remained dormant for years.
There are also questions raised about how the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC Ltd.) has not been held accountable for the amount of crude oil exported compared to the amount of fuel imported. For years there has been no accountability for what was done with other by-products of crude oil exported abroad for refining and repatriation.
By: Babajide Okeowo
Defying critics, Nigerian govt makes excuses for fuel imports, Dangote refinery carpets, more (Video) first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.
