Aduragbemi Omiyale
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
There is excitement in the air in Nigeria over news that the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos has commenced production after years of waiting.
The oil facility is owned by Africa’s richest man, Mr Aliko Dangote.
The Dangote Refinery began production on Friday after it received the last batch of the six million barrels of crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited this week.
“This is a big day for Nigeria. We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone.
“This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects.
“This is a game changer for our country, and I am very fulfilled with the actualisation of this project,” Mr Dangote was quoted as saying in a statement from the company last night.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support, encouragement, and thoughtful advice towards the actualisation of this project, also extending his gratitude to Nigerians, the NNPC, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for their support and belief in the historic project.
“We thank President Bola Tinubu for his support and for making our dream come true. This production, as witnessed today, would not have been possible without his visionary leadership and prompt attention to detail.
“His intervention at various stages cleared all impediments thereby accelerating the actualisation of the project.
“We also thank the NNPC, NUPRC, and NMDPRA for their support. These organisations have been our dependable partners in this historic journey.
“We also thank Nigerians for their belief and support in this project. We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market within this month once we receive regulatory approvals,” the businessman said.
Recall that on December 12, 2023, the refinery received the first crude delivery on January 8, 2024, it received the sixth cargo.
