Refinery Saga: NNPC Dupplies Insufficient Crude Oil To Us, Says Dangote

Dangote Refinery has revealed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) is supplying insufficient crude oil for its production demand, hence it plans to source alternative supplies from Brazil and America.

Group Chief Commercial Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Rabiu A. Umar, made this known while speaking with newsmen in Kano. Umar said NNPC supplies only 33% of crude to the refinery, leaving a shortfall of 67% to meet its production capacity.

The refinery, which has a capacity of refining 650,000 barrels per day, cannot depend on the short supply from Nigeria’s oil company. Umar said, “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. 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 USA,” he said. Umar also revealed that the refinery had commenced supplies to foreign countries since February, disclosing that they receive orders from different countries for supply, especially aviation fuel.

He lamented that the refinery needs 15 cargos of crude oil in September but NNPC promised only 5, describing the government’s lackadaisical actions towards the refinery as sabotage. Umar emphasized that the refinery should be celebrated and embraced by the government rather than painting it black, as it is the biggest employer of labor with over 50,000 workers at the moment.

He also stated that against the government’s false narratives, the refinery had started on a positive note, with the quality of its refined products being world-standard. Umar 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.

He 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.”

Recall that the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), alongside NNPC, had been locked in a dispute ranging from monopoly allegations to supply of crude for the refinery, substandard fuel imports, and ownership of blending plants in Malta.