The Dangote refinery announced that it will be supplying petrol to all Nigerians by June 2024 but it will no longer be possible this month as they came out to adjust the date to next month July. This adjustment has created an uproar amongst Nigerians.
Aliko Dangote who is the president of the Dangote groups made it clear to newsmen during a tour of the facility with Governor Babajide Sanwe-olu of Lagos that the petrel that was to be supplied from the 650,000 barrels per day will be ready by July.
He said that the reason for the change was due to some minor challenges they faced as a company. Reassuring that the product will be ready by July 10th to 15th.
“We had a bit of delay, but PMS will start coming out by 10 to 15 of July. But then we want to keep it in the tank to make sure that it settles. So by the third week of July, we’ll be able to come out to take it into the market,” Dangote had said.
The update, however, has caused a lot of Nigeria to come out with their views on what would have been the reason for the shift.
Anthony Ihenyen, the Facebook user said concluded that it was not easy to own a huge investment.
“You are trying, sir, and it will fly. We need more people like you to do more here in Nigeria, not abroad. Nobody is a saint.
Emmanuel Ose expressed concern, saying “Anything that will make an average Nigerian happy is always a problem to get in Nigeria”.
Adeola Orukotan, said, “When you know your refinery isn’t ready, why rush to declare it open? Now it’s over one year with story upon story.”
An X user, @ajagunsegun, stated, “Nigerians were told that the Dangote refinery was due for operation when it was commissioned by Buhari in May 2023, but up until now, we’re still waiting. Well, Dangote has the right to run his private business however he wishes. But what about the four Nigerian refineries? When President Tinubu came into power, he promised that the Port Harcourt refinery would begin operation by December last year, this is June 2024, and we’re still waiting. Sincerely, there’s no way you’ll reside in Nigeria without developing the tendency to lie. There are too many lies and government propaganda everywhere.
Michael Chibuzo said,
“It is complex. You have to pass a lot of tests and carry out many test runs. Commercial production is always the last stage of the entire process. Let’s be patient,” Chibuzo advised.
@Selomsarl stated, “Thank you for the update, Mr. Dangote. We appreciate your commitment to ensuring the quality of the petrol before releasing it into the market. Your dedication to producing high-quality products is commendable. Questions, sir: How will the new refinery’s production affect the current fuel scarcity in the country? Will the petrol produced by the refinery be subsidized, or will it be sold at the current market price? How will the distribution of the petrol be handled to ensure it reaches all states and regions equally?”
But reports have also reminded the public about Dangote’s speech where he said the refinery is ready to start selling PMS in June because the refinery would bring an end to the importation of petrol into the country.
Dangote Spoke about this at the recent Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, where he expressed hope about transforming Africa’s energy landscape.
“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of a liter,” he declared
“We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa, and diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico.
“We have started producing jet fuel, we are producing diesel, and by next month, we’ll be producing gasoline. What that will do, it will be able to take most African crude,” Dangote told the panel.
Dangote’s words came as hope to many Nigerians and marketers hoping that the price of petrol would be reduced when the Refinery starts supplying has been dashed
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