The Nigerian government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has ordered new tests to verify the sulphur content of diesel produced by the Dangote refinery. This move comes after the refinery refuted claims that its fuel is of inferior quality compared to imported diesel.
NMDPRA spokesperson George Ene-Ita stated in an interview with PUNCH that the agency had completed its duties and would not engage in a public dispute. Ene-Ita emphasized that the agency’s engineers and scientists embedded at the Dangote refinery would release a new report on the diesel’s sulphur content by Monday.
NMDPRA Chief Executive Farouk Ahmed previously alleged that diesel from the Dangote refinery had higher sulphur content than imported diesel. In response, Dangote accused the NMDPRA of allowing traders to import dirty fuel into Nigeria, a claim Ahmed denied, asserting that Dangote’s diesel had higher sulphur levels.
Ahmed also pointed out that the Dangote refinery, despite selling diesel and aviation fuel, had not been fully commissioned or licensed and was still in the pre-commissioning stage. He added, “The claim by some media houses that there were steps to scuttle the Dangote refinery is not so. The Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage.”
The NMDPRA boss warned against relying solely on the Dangote refinery for Nigeria’s fuel supply. He stated, “We cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation,” stressing the dangers of a monopoly in the fuel market.
Dangote, during a tour of the refinery by members of the House of Representatives, maintained that the diesel produced at the refinery was of superior quality. Laboratory tests reportedly showed Dangote’s diesel with a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm, compared to over 1,800 ppm and 2,000 ppm in samples from other stations.
Dangote urged the NMDPRA to conduct transparent tests on the refinery’s products, arguing that imported fuels were of lower quality. He asserted, “We produce the best diesel in Nigeria. It is disheartening that instead of safeguarding the market, the regulator is undermining it.”
In response to Dangote’s claims, Ene-Ita suggested that changes might have occurred within five days, affecting the diesel’s sulphur content. He said, “We are not fighting anybody. Dangote refinery is the same as an indigenous local refinery. We are regulators, we don’t fight in the media. We have done our job, and that is it.”
The Dangote refinery is also seeking crude supplies from Libya and Angola to overcome domestic supply challenges, having already imported crude from Brazil and the United States. A senior executive at Dangote Industries, Devakumar Edwin, mentioned ongoing talks with these countries to secure crude for the refinery.
