Dangote Refinery has announced plans to source crude oil from Brazil and the USA due to insufficient supply from the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, revealed that to meet the $20 billion refinery's production demand, it must look beyond Nigeria's oil company, which currently supplies only 33% of the refinery's needs.
Rabiu Umar, Group Chief Commercial Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, stated that the refinery, with a capacity of refining 650,000 barrels per day, requires 67% more crude oil than NNPC is providing. Speaking in Kano on Saturday, Umar disclosed that plans to import crude oil from Brazil and the USA are set to commence by August.
Despite having one of the world's largest refineries in Nigeria, Umar expressed frustration over the nation's tendency to export crude oil for refining abroad while ignoring local capabilities. He emphasized the need for alternative sources to maintain production capacity, noting that the refinery has already begun supplying refined products internationally since February.
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Umar further criticized the government's response to the refinery, accusing it of sabotage through insufficient crude allocations. He highlighted that while the refinery needs 15 cargos of crude oil by September, NNPC has promised only five, undermining the refinery’s operations. Umar called for government support, emphasizing the refinery's role as a major employer with over 50,000 workers and its production of high-quality refined products.
Rejecting the government's negative portrayal, Umar urged independent verification of the refinery’s product quality and reaffirmed the company's commitment to overcoming challenges and achieving success.
