Aliko Dangote has officially announced the commencement of petrol production at the Dangote Refinery.
During a press presentation on Tuesday, the billionaire thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for enforcing the sale of crude oil in Naira and for the eventual actualization of the project.
“Today is a very special day, which I think Nigeria has not produced petrol, which is gasoline, for many years but I stand with you today,” Dangote said.
“I would like to salute the people of Nigeria and the government of President Ahmed Tinubu for creating the environment for us to thrive and also achieve this monumental task of giving energy to our people for growth, development and prosperity.”
Dangote presented the first sample of petrol to the press and noted that its color is white, like water, because that is the original color of genuine petrol.
He also addressed the issue of round-tripping in the oil industry, where false documentation leads to petrol shortages.
Dangote said the refinery’s operations, would facilitate a precise tracking of petrol consumption across Nigeria, offering a solution to this problem.
“As we have this refinery working, it will show the true consumption of Nigeria,” he said.
“We can track every single loaded trucks and we will try as much as possible to track the loaded trucks, we can tell you where they are.”
Dangote, while stressing on quality, said the petrol from his plant, meets global standards.
“You will not be having an engine issue which a lot of us were having. It won’t happen at all,” the businessman said.
“So the quality here will match that of quality anywhere in the world. We will make sure that nobody will beat us in terms of quality.”
According to Edwin, the Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC) will become the sole buyer of products from Dangote Refinery as it begins production.
“We are currently testing the gasoline, and soon, it will start flowing into the tanks,” Edwin stated. He also noted, “If no one buys it locally, we will export it, just as we’ve been doing with our aviation jet fuel and diesel.”
