Chairman of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote, has called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and fuel importers to halt the importation of fuel, assuring that his refinery has over 500 million litres of fuel in storage.
Speaking after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on the country’s fuel scarcity, Dangote emphasized that with sufficient crude oil supply, his refinery could produce over 30 million litres of fuel per day, more than enough to meet the nation’s demand.
Dangote stated, “With enough supply of crude, we can actually produce much more than 30 million litres every day. At full capacity, we can even supply whatever is being consumed. We have 500 million litres in our tanks. Even with no imports or production, this can last the country for more than 12 days.”
He further expressed frustration that despite having the fuel available, the refinery is not in the retail business and relies on marketers to collect the products.
He urged marketers to collect the available fuel, saying, “The retailers should please come forward and pick. If they don’t, what do you want me to do? We are ready, and as soon as they collect, we will pump more.”
Dangote reassured Nigerians that the Dangote Refinery is well-prepared to meet the nation’s fuel demands, asserting, “We have what it takes for them to come and collect. If they come and pick, you will not see any queues at the filling stations.”
His remarks come amid persistent fuel shortages in the country, with long queues at filling stations.
Dangote pointed out that it costs the refinery money to store the large volume of fuel, and it would be in the best interest of the marketers to start purchasing from his facility instead of relying on imports.