Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has promised to constantly make available high-quality fuels for Nigeria’s transportation sector.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals on Monday, Dangote explained the drive behind the Group’s corporate vision.
“Beyond today’s ceremony, our first goal is to ramp up production of the various products to ensure that within this year, we are able to fully satisfy the nation’s demand for quality products.
“There will be constant availability of high-quality fuels for our transportation sector, the refinery will also make available to our industries vital raw materials for wide range of manufacturing.
“Our Group’s corporate vision is driven by our mission to produce what we consume and to promote self-sufficiency in the basic needs of our people.
“We decided on a plant designed with state-of-the-art technology and a scale in a capacity that will be a game-changer in Africa and the global market.
“We have built a refinery with a capacity to process 650k barrels per day in a single train – which is the largest in the world. We have selected the best plants, equipment and the latest technologies from across the world.
“Overall, we are committed to operating our plant in line with int’l best practice, recognising the importance of protecting the environment, we have adopted stringent environmental, health & safety policies,” he said at the ongoing epoch-making event.
Nigerian Anchor reports that five presidents, including: President Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo; President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Mohamed Bazoum of Nigeria Republic, and President Mahamat Déby of Chad are in Nigeria for the big occasion.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who will not be physically present, will, however, present his goodwill message virtually.
The petroleum refinery, with a capacity to process 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), is sitting on 2,635 hectares of land located in Dangote Industries Free Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, and will provide employment to over 100,000 persons.
The coming on stream of the gigantic project is expected to mark Nigeria’s exit from the league of oil rich nations, but which are heavy importers of the petroleum products.
