Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of Dangote Group, has clarified that his 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery has never accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) of not supplying crude oil.
In a statement released on Thursday, Dangote addressed recent reports alleging that the refinery received about 60 percent of the 50 million barrels lifted from NNPCL.
He emphasized that the refinery’s main concern has been the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) reluctance to enforce the 450,000 barrels of crude oil domestic supply obligation.
He noted that when the refinery approached International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria for crude, they were either redirected to third parties or informed that the cargoes were already committed elsewhere.
Despite these challenges, Dangote acknowledged that the issues surrounding crude supply are gradually being resolved and mentioned that the refinery remains open to exploring other opportunities to supplement its supply needs.
Dangote stated, “Our attention has been drawn to media reports alleging that the Dangote refinery has backtracked by acknowledging that NNPC supplied about 60 percent of the 50 million barrels we lifted.
“To clarify, we have never accused NNPC of not supplying us with crude. Our concern has always been NUPRC’s reluctance to enforce the domestic crude supply obligation and ensure that we receive our full crude requirement from NNPC and the IOCs.
“For September, our requirement is 15 cargoes, of which NNPC allocated six. Despite appealing to NUPRC, we’ve been unable to secure the remaining cargoes.
“When we approached IOCs producing in Nigeria, they redirected us to their international trading arms or responded that their cargoes were committed”, he added.
This development follows Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent directive for NNPCL to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in Naira.
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