The management of Dangote Industries Limited has said President Muhammadu Buhari will commission the 650,000 barrels per day refinery before leaving office on May 29, 2023.
Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, Mr Anthony Chiejina said in a statement put out to set the record straight regarding the commissioning of the project during Buhari’s two-day visit to Lagos on Monday.
Buhari had visited to commission some projects just completed by Lagos State and a private individual. Some of the projects inaugurated were the Lekki Deep Sea Port, the 32-Metric Tonnes Imota Rice Mill, the 18.75km Eleko to Epe T Junction Expressway, the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, the Blue Line Rail (Phase 1 from Marina to Mile 2), the groundbreaking for the Blue Line Rail Phase 2 from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko, and the MRS Lubricant.
While some media houses have insinuated that Dangote Refinery was among the projects commissioned, the management of Dangote Industries Limited has however refuted that the much-awaited Dangote refinery was also commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The statement reads “Our attention has been drawn to some misleading reports regarding the commissioning of our Dangote Refinery during the present working visit of President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR to Lagos State.
“We want to state categorically that our 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery project was never part of the President’s programme on projects to be commissioned.
“However, our Refinery will be commissioned before President Muhammadu Buhari formally leaves office in May 2023, and the public will be duly informed and invited to the epic event,” it added.
Dangote refinery is being built by Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote and it is the largest single crude oil refinery in the world.
According to the state owned-oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited which has a 20% stake in the project, the project will commence production by the middle of 2023.