Victor EzejaFormer Nigeria’s Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called for a decisive stand against any attempt to frustrate the Dangote Refinery.
According to Atiku, the Dangote Refinery is “a significant private sector project positioned to meet our energy and forex needs,” and warned against any deliberate attempt to impede the progress.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHe stated this while reacting to a statement signed by Dangote Group Chief, Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, posted on X, regarding the company’s ordeal with Federal Government agencies on crude oil supply to the refinery.
In the statement released on Friday, 9th August, titled “On Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) We Stand” Chiejina was responding to Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s statement that they have facilitated the allocation of 29 million barrels of crude oil to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.
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While thanking NUPRC for the crude oil allocation, Chiejina said the company had yet to receive the cargoes.
He further stated that the company “bilaterally negotiated” with NNPCL, but so far, NUPRC has only facilitated the purchase of one crude cargo from a domestic producer, while the rest of the cargoes they have processed were purchased from international traders.
He said all they are requesting is for domestic refineries to buy crude directly from the oil companies in Nigeria rather than from international middlemen, adding that it is stipulated in the PIA. “Unfortunately, the NUPRC has effectively admitted in their statement, that they will be unable to enforce the domestic crude supply obligation as specified in the PIA citing ‘sanctity of contracts’ as an excuse,” Chiejina added.
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Atiku in his statement said investment like Dangote Refinery that is crucial to the nation’s economy should be nurtured like a child by a parent that has eagerly awaits its arrival.
He said: “Each parent eagerly awaiting the arrival of a child will dutifully undertake the necessary measures to ensure that the nurturing and development of this precious blessing remain a primary focus.
“This fundamental principle applies equally to investments, whether they be local or international in nature.
“With this understanding, I am cautious in considering any deliberate attempts to impede the progress of the Dangote Refinery, a significant private sector project positioned to meet our energy and forex needs.
“Alongside numerous fellow citizens of goodwill, I call upon all Nigerians to take resolute actions to provide reassurance that both internal and external forces are not collaborating to prevent us from reaping the benefits promised by this eagerly anticipated transformative endeavour.”
Prime Business Africa had reported that Dangote said it has not been able to secure full crude supply requirement from producers in the country, but buys the same Nigerian crude from international traders at an additional cost of $3 to $4 per barrel which translates to $3 to $4 million per cargo. It said NUPRC has not been able to fully enforce the domestic crude supply obligation as mandated by the PIA and urged it to do so.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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