Dangote Refinery, Unique Feat Worth Celebrating By Nigerians, Says TMSG

The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described Dangote Refinery’s full operation and the roll-out of locally refined fuel of international quality and standards as a one-of-a-kind national achievement worthy of celebration by all progressive Nigerians.

According to the group, this is the first time a private entity of such magnitude and monstrosity has been involved in large-scale domestic refining of fuel and other petroleum products in the country.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG noted that the President Bola Tinubu administration deserves huge praise for midwifing the delivery and giving life to the Dangote Refinery.

The statement read in part: “It is indeed a great feat that Nigerians can now rely on locally refined fuel for their energy needs and consumption after several years of over-reliance on imported fuel.

“For us, it aligns with President Tinubu’s oft-repeated stance that no raw material should leave the country without some form of value addition, which is the foundation for genuine development.

“This is why the Tinubu administration continued where the previous government of former President Muhammadu Buhari left off by providing the Dangote Refinery with the necessary support to end decades of fuel imports for domestic consumption.

“It is public knowledge that when the then-Buhari administration shut down all four government-owned refineries in the country in 2020 for total rehabilitation, they had been operating below their nameplate capacity since the early 2000s. For many years, Nigerians had relied almost entirely on fuel imported by oil marketers.

“But, unbeknownst to many Nigerians, this development paved the way for a long-running scam, which was finally exposed in 2012 by a Presidential Committee and the then-House of Representatives, who indicted approximately 20 companies in a $6 billion scam.

“We should also recall that the technical committee discovered that the number of firms importing fuel increased from six in 2006 to 140 by 2011, indicating that something was wrong somewhere.

“So, for a private company to dabble in a field that the government had struggled with for decades and to launch operations full-fledged, churning out petroleum products for internal use and exports, is no small feat.

“Against this backdrop, we urge Nigerians to look beyond the initial issue of the pricing mechanism between Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and see the introduction of locally refined fuel as something to celebrate in the first place.

“We see it as the beginning of something new.” This is because the country is on the verge of halting all fuel imports, particularly as we await the completion of the ongoing rehabilitation of the four government-owned refineries.

“This will undoubtedly put an end to fuel shortages and the resulting long, winding lines that have become an annual ritual, as well as the vagaries of operational complexities associated with fuel importation.

“Beyond that, the country now hosts Africa’s largest refinery as well as the world’s largest single-train refinery, which spans over 2,000 hectares. The Dangote Refinery’s pipeline infrastructure is said to be the world’s largest, with 1,100 kilometres transporting 3 billion standard cubic feet of gas daily.

“The optics are good, and the world has received a clear signal that Nigeria is ready to host large investments. It is an accomplishment that the world will recognise as a true reflection of our status not only in Africa, but also as a global emerging economy.

“We also agree with the notable entrepreneur Femi Otedola, who is emphatic that President Tinubu has been instrumental in ensuring that the Refinery receives all of the support it needs from the authorities.”

TMSG believes that Nigerians will have more reason to smile once the President’s directive on the sale of crude to Dangote Refinery in naira goes into effect in October.