Tinubu was instrumental in inspiring me to establish a refinery, reveals Dangote

Achieving the successful beginning of producing refined petroleum products at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Aliko Dangote, the President of Dangote Group, has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his foresight and assistance.

According to the billionaire businessman, it was years ago that Tinubu motivated him to undertake the refinery project.

This information was disclosed in a statement by his media team, a copy of which was made available to NewsNow.

Addressing stakeholders in the oil and gas industry about the historic commencement of domestic refining of petroleum products, which experts have stated will eliminate the dependency on the importation of refined products in Nigeria, Dangote expressed his thanks to Tinubu, the Federal Government, its agencies, and all Nigerians for believing in him and supporting the mega project against all odds.

The renowned entrepreneur recollected the support, encouragement, and considerate advice he received from President Tinubu in realizing the refinery project.

Recollecting President Tinubu’s address to Nigerians on New Year’s Day, he indicated that the FG and Nigerians were eagerly anticipating the commencement of production at Dangote and Port Harcourt refineries to alleviate the accompanying hardship on citizens after the fuel subsidy removal.

In particular, Dangote also expressed his appreciation to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority for their support and confidence in the historic project.

Dangote remarked, “I want to thank President Bola Tinubu for his support and for making our dream come true. This production, as witnessed today, would not have been possible without his visionary leadership and prompt attention to detail.

“His intervention at various stages cleared all impediments, thereby accelerating the actualization of the project.

“I also want to express my appreciation to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority for their support.

“These organizations have been our dependable partners in this historic journey. We also thank Nigerians for their belief and support in this project. We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market within this month once we receive regulatory approvals.”

“This is a significant day for Nigeria. We are thrilled to have reached this notable milestone. This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. This is a game-changer for our country, and I am very fulfilled with the actualization of this project,” he added.

The refinery has received six million barrels of crude oil at its two SPMs located 25 kilometers from the shore.

The first crude delivery was made on December 12, 2023, and the 6th cargo was delivered on January 8, 2024.

The refinery, the statement noted, can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries.

It also added that the products from the refinery would conform to Euro V specifications.

“The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources emission and effluent norms, employing state-of-the-art technology.

“I must extend our sincere appreciation to our Bankers and financiers, both local and offshore, who demonstrated a great deal of patience, in seeing us through many difficult times.

“In the same vein, we thank the Government of Lagos State, under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who has been incredibly proactive in ensuring that the many challenges we encountered in the course of executing this project were quickly resolved. I thank him immensely.

“I also sincerely thank our host communities and their traditional leaders for their sustained patience, forbearance, and admirable willingness to work with us to find amicable and win-win resolutions to the many issues we have had to deal with as the construction of this huge facility progressed. Our staff have also contributed so immensely to the success of this project. I thank them profusely,” Dangote stated.