By Doris Isreal Ijeoma
In a move, most capable of demarketing its products, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, has said that the quality of petroleum products from the Dangote refinery, as well as those from Watersmith, Aradel, and other modular refineries, is inferior compared to imported ones.
Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA Farouk Ahmed disclosed this in a recent interview with journalists, a video of which was published by TVC.
The regulator boss discarded reports that some elements within the oil and gas sector were trying to scuttle the Dangote Refinery.
According to him, the 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery has not been issued an operational licence by NMDPRA.
He noted that the Lagos-based Dangote Refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage and about 45 per cent completed.
Ahmed added that the country can not risk dependence on Dangote Refinery by suspending petroleum products, especially Automotive Gas Oil and Dual Purpose Kerosene, DPK.
He said: “That is not so. Dangote Refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licenced yet. We haven’t licenced them yet. I think they are about 45 per cent to completion.
“We cannot rely on one refinery to feed the nation because Dangote is requesting that we suspend or stop imports, especially of AGO and DPK, and direct all marketers to his refinery That is not good for the nation 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 current AGO (diesel) suffers from the lowest quality in terms of sulphur content, falling short of West Africa’s requirement of 50 parts per million (PPM).
“Dangote Refinery, as well as some modular refineries like Watersmith Refinery and Aradel Refinery, are producing between 650 and 1,200 PPM. Therefore, in terms of quality, their products are inferior to imported ones,” he stated.
This development comes days after the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said Dangote Refinery is set to commence fuel supply in August 2024.
Earlier, Devakumar Edwin, the Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, had alleged that most fuel products imported into Nigeria are substandard.
He also accused international oil companies of frustrating the kickoff of the Dangote Refinery by selling oil crude at a higher price in Nigeria.
However, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission dismissed Edwin’s claim of substandard petroleum products in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that Alhaji Aliko Dangote recently told a bewildered nation grappling with needless petrol scarcity that some vested interests in the oil industry were sabotaging his effort to satisfy Nigeria’s petrol demand.
