Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, has asserted that the products refined at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals are of superior quality compared to imported equivalents and meet international standards.
This statement follows a visit from members of the House of Representatives who insisted on testing other diesel products alongside Dangote’s diesel at the refinery’s state-of-the-art laboratory.
During a tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Dangote Fertiliser Limited complex on Saturday, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and other members praised the company for its significant investments and contributions to Nigeria’s development.
The diesel samples tested were procured from two well-known filling stations near Eleko junction along the Lekki Epe Expressway, overseen by Hon. Ikeagwunon Ugochinyere and Hon. Okojie Odianosen.
“The diesel samples were procured from two well-known filling stations near Eleko junction along the Lekki Epe Expressway, by the honourable members. Chairman of the House Committee on Downstream, Hon. Ikeagwunon Ugochinyere, and Chairman of the House Committee on Midstream, Hon. Okojie Odianosen, oversaw the collection of samples from the Mild Hydro Cracking (MHC) unit of Dangote refinery for testing of all the samples,” the company’s media team stated.
Lab tests revealed that Dangote’s diesel had a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm (parts per million), whereas the other two samples showed sulphur levels exceeding 1800 ppm and 2000 ppm respectively.
Dangote emphasized that these findings debunked claims made by Farouk Ahmed, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority, who recently asserted that imported diesel surpasses domestically refined products.
Dangote openly challenged the regulator to compare the quality of refined products from his refinery with those imported, advocating for an impartial assessment to determine what best serves the interests of Nigerians.
“We produce the best diesel in Nigeria. It’s disheartening that instead of safeguarding the market, the regulator is undermining it. Our doors are open for the regulator to conduct tests on our products anytime; transparency is paramount to us. It would be beneficial for the regulator to showcase its laboratory to the world so Nigerians can compare. Our interest is Nigeria first because if Nigeria doesn’t grow, we have limited capacity for growth.”
“Right Honourable Speaker and esteemed members, you’ve witnessed the results of the credibility test. I appreciate your wise counsel in procuring samples from the filling stations alongside our refinery’s product. Ours shows a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm, approximately 88, whereas the others exceeded 1,800 ppm. Although the NMDPRA permits local refiners to produce diesel with sulphur content up to 650 ppm until January 2025, as approved by ECOWAS, ours is significantly lower. Next week, we aim to achieve 10 ppm, aligning with the Euro V standard. Imported diesel is capped at 50 ppm, but as you’ve seen, those from the stations, imported by major marketers, fall well outside this standard,” he said.
Dangote pointed out that high-sulphur content diesel regularly imported into the country often comes with dubious certifications, leading to health risks and financial losses for Nigerians.
“Dubious certifications often accompany the importation of high-sulphur diesel into Nigeria, causing both health risks and financial losses for Nigerians,” noted Dangote.
“The best method to verify this is to purchase the product directly from filling stations where end-users obtain it. I believe Farouk Ahmed speaks without sufficient knowledge of our refinery. We have successfully exported diesel and jet fuel to Europe and Asia without any complaints; in fact, we have received repeated orders, indicating satisfaction with our products.”
Supporting Dangote’s assertion, Vice President of Gas and Oil at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, highlighted recent actions by European countries like Belgium and the Netherlands, which have imposed bans on high-sulphur diesel exports to West Africa due to its carcinogenic effects.
Edwin informed the federal lawmakers that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, designed to process a wide range of crudes, conforms to Euro V specifications and complies with US EPA, European emission norms, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms, and African Refiners and Distribution Association (ARDA) standards.
He noted that products from the $20 billion facility are of high quality and meet international standards, capable of meeting 100% of Nigeria’s demand for petrol, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet fuel, with surpluses available for export.
The Group’s Vice President, Olakunle Alake, expressed disappointment over accusations of monopoly against the Dangote Group. He stressed that there are multiple players in the industry, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which operates four refineries.