Dangote refinery Vs NMDPRA: Petroleum Minister Lokpobiri intervenes, meets Aliko, Ahmed, NNPCL head

Dangote refinery Vs NMDPRA: Petroleum Minister Lokpobiri intervenes, meets Aliko, Ahmed, NNPCL head 

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, on Monday intervened in the open disagreement between the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) over the state and quality of products from the new 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery.

in an apparent move to stop the altercations between the two parties, the minister on Monday met with Aliko Dangote (owner of Dangote refinery) and the Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed.

At the meeting also, according to a statement from the spokesperson for the minister, Amaka Okafor, were the heads of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and that of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The disagreement between the NMDPRA head, Ahmed, and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has dominated the public space.

Ahmed’s NMDPRA alleged that Dangote refinery was producing fuels with high sulphur content.

He said products from the facility, diesel and jet fuel, were of lower quality than the those imported by NNPCL.

Ahmed, who spoke in Port Harcourt, stated that Dangote refinery had not even been granted a full licence to operate, explaining that the facility cannot be solely relied upon to satisfy the fuel needs of the country.

The NMDPRA boss added that he had been under pressure by the Dangote refinery to stop all import of diesel and jet fuel, despite the fact that the imported fuels had lower sulphur content than the ones from Dangote refinery.

But conducting federal lawmakers round the facility in Lagos at the weekend, Dangote said contrary to the position of the head of the NMDPRA, his products were actually of far higher quality than imported fuels.

Dangote rejected the claims by the industry regulator that the products from his new refinery were substandard, expressing doubts over the quality of laboratories used in testing the standard of fuels in the country by NMDPRA.

The statement from the ministry said Lokpobiri convened the high-level meeting with key stakeholders to address and resolve the ongoing issues surrounding Dangote refinery.

Present at the meeting, apart from Dangote, the statement disclosed, were Ahmed, NUPRC’s Gbenga Komolafe, as well as NNPCL’s Mele Kyari.

The statement said, “The stakeholders expressed their gratitude to the minister for his exemplary leadership and timely intervention in facilitating the crucial dialogue. The meeting focused on finding a sustainable and lasting solution to the current impasse affecting the Dangote refinery, with all parties demonstrating a commitment to collaborative and proactive problem-solving.

“The minister emphasised the importance of cooperation and synergy among all stakeholders to ensure the success and optimal performance of the oil and gas sector, which is pivotal for Nigeria’s economic growth and energy security.

“This meeting marked a significant step towards resolving the challenges and underscored the minister’s dedication to fostering a conducive environment for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.”

To convince his visitors that his position was factual, Dangote and his team tested samples of diesel bought from two separate filling stations and another one from his refinery in his laboratories.

He admitted that when the refinery started, it was turning out about 600ppm to 650ppm, which was still the best quality at the time.

He said the refinery now had less than 87ppm products and was set to hit 10ppm next month, compared to over 1,800ppm and over 2,600ppm, respectively, from the other tested samples.