Aliko Dangote, the chairman of Dangote Group, has officially declared the commencement of fuel production at his refinery.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Dangote said that this development is a major achievement for Nigeria, marking the end of a long period of reliance on imported fuel.
“This refinery will fuel growth, development, and prosperity by supplying energy to our people,” said Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Dangote expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu’s administration for fostering an environment conducive to the success of the initiative.
“I salute the people of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu’s government for creating the conditions that allowed us to achieve this monumental task. This refinery will drive growth, development, and prosperity by providing energy to our people,” Dangote said.
He also lauded Tinubu for the “Naira for crude, Naira for product” initiative, which he believes will stabilise the Naira by reducing the demand for dollars by 40%.
News About Nigeria reports that the 650,000 bpd capacity refinery began operations in January with the production of diesel and aviation fuel.
Dangote said the petrol from the plant can compete with products from other parts of the world in terms of quality.
On August 22, Dangote Petroleum Refinery said it was undergoing test runs for petrol production, with full operation expected to commence by mid-September.
The commencement of production had been postponed on several occasions between May and August.
Recall that on Sunday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited admitted that it is indebted to providers of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
