The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, has cautioned Nigerians against over-dependence on products from the Dangote refinery.
Ahmed highlighted concerns over the consistency and standardisation of the refinery’s output, stating that the quality of its products was inferior compared to the imported quality products.
He addressed concerns about the nationwide supply of petroleum products and denied claims by some media outlets that they were trying to scuttle the Dangote Refinery.
He said Dangote Refinery was still in the pre-commissioning stage and had not been licensed yet. “We haven’t been licensed yet,” he added.
“I think we have about 45% completion. We cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation because Dangote is requesting that we suspend or stop imports, especially of AGO and DPK, and direct all marketers to his refinery.
“That is not good for the nation in terms of energy security, and it is not good for the market because of the monopoly.
Ahmed said that in terms of quality, Dangote’s current AGO suffers from the lowest quality in terms of sulfur content, falling short of West Africa’s requirement of 50 PPM.
“Dangote Refinery, along with other major refineries, produces between six hundred and fifty to one thousand two hundred parts per million (PPM). Therefore, in terms of quality, their products are inferior to imported ones,” he said.
