Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), in the 2023 generation election, has said individuals causing a fuss about the integrity of Dangote refinery are vested interest.
Dangote refinery has been making the headlines in the past days, following the comments by Farouk Ahmed, the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), over the quality of fuel produced at the facility.
Last month, Dangote claimed that some International Oil Companies (IOCs), were struggling to supply crude to the refinery.
Last week, Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), described the claim as “erroneous,” noting that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has provisions that guide willing buyer-willing seller transactions.
While also addressing journalists, Ahmed said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, were producing inferior products compared to imported ones. However, members of the House of Representatives who visited the Dangote refinery, found the contrary to the claim by the NMDPRA boss.
The oil regulator had also accused Dangote of monopoly.
Refuting the claim, Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group, said petroleum products refined in his refinery are standard.
The Africa’s richest man expressed willingness to sell the oil refinery to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, over claim that he is enjoying monopoly.
Commenting on the development in a post published on his X page on Wednesday, Kwankwaso described the Dangote refinery as a national asset which must not be allowed to fail.
“I was privileged to visit the magnificent Dangote Refinery, and I was marvelled by the sheer commitment that went into the quality of its establishment,” he wrote.
“This 650,000-bpd refinery is essential for our energy needs and economic stability, and it must be protected from all forms of threat.
“The creation of unnecessary fuss around its integrity by some vested interests is very unfortunate, and it stands to undo all the years of hard work to maintain the fragile investor confidence in our economy.
“It’s time for us to rally around this national asset to ensure that the monumental project does not fail. It cannot fail, and the Nigerian government must understand this by demonstrating fairness and confidence in both domestic and foreign critical investments.”
