* As Omokri, Niger Delta monarch rally support for Dangote Refinery

 Funmi Ogundare

The Vice-President, Oil and Gas, Dangote Group, Edwin Devakumar, has assured Nigerians that the Dangote Refinery has the the capacity to meet 100 per cent of Nigeria’s domestic demand for petrol, diesel and aviation fuel while also exporting up to 50 per cent of its total production to foreign markets.

Also former presidential aide and Grow Naira, Buy Naija advocate, Reno Omokri,  applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Africa’s foremost industrialist, Aliko Dangote, for transforming the once-undeveloped Lekki Peninsula into one of Nigeria’s most vibrant industrial zones, home to the Dangote Refinery and Fertiliser Plant.

Speaking with  journalists during a media tour of the multi-billion-dollar facility in Lagos, on Friday, Devakumar explained that the 650,000 barrels per-day facility is operating efficiently and producing 94 per cent lighter products, such as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and Jet A1 fuel, with only six per cent heavier output used as feedstock for carbon black.

“This refinery can supply the entire country’s requirement of AGO, PMS and Jet A1 and still export almost half of its production. Our production of lighter products is very large, much more than Nigeria’s total requirement,” he stated.

He dismissed speculation that the company was facing operational setbacks or fuel shortages, describing such reports as false narratives fueled by misinformation and sabotage.

“We have more than 312 million litres of PMS in our tanks as of today, apart from daily production. Anyone doubting our capacity should bring their tankers; we will load any number,” he said.

Addressing recent reports linking the refinery’s reorganisation to issues with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the vice-president clarified that the changes were purely internal management decisions aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and safety.

“Our restructuring had nothing to do with PENGASSAN. What we faced were repeated incidents of sabotage; 22 documented cases, including attempts to start fires or tamper with instruments. By God’s grace, our ultra-modern safety systems detected and neutralised every attempt,” he explained.

He added that all such incidents were recorded in the refinery’s master control room, which tracks operational data in real time, and that the company acted swiftly to prevent any disruption that could endanger the multi-billion-dollar facility.

The Dangote Group executive noted that like other global refineries, the company undertakes turnaround maintenance (TAM) periodically, once every five years for new refineries, to sustain peak performance.

“Turnaround maintenance is standard practice in the refining business. During such periods, production and product outflow may reduce temporarily, but operations resume at full capacity immediately after,” he said, citing the fertiliser plant’s maintenance exercise last year.

Reaffirming the refinery’s readiness to sustain local supply, he urged marketers to desist from exploiting speculation to manipulate pump prices.

“There’s no reason for anyone to hike fuel prices. We are producing, we are loading, and we have the capacity to meet Nigeria’s full demand,” he emphasised.

Also speaking, presidential aide and Grow Naira, Buy Naija advocate, Reno Omokri,

described the $20 billion investment as a lifeline for the Nigerian economy and a critical driver for the stability of the naira.

He explained that every shipment leaving the plant for export strengthens the national currency, while any attempt to frustrate or slow down the refinery’s operations would have the opposite effect.

“As ships leave this facility carrying urea and other refined products to countries like the United States, Brazil and Argentina, the naira appreciates in value,” Omokri said. “But when anything is done to undermine or frustrate this refinery, the naira depreciates. It’s in everyone’s interest to ensure this facility succeeds.”

According to him, about 60 per cent of exports from the facility go to the United States, 30 per cent to Argentina and Brazil, with plans to expand exports to India and other Asian countries.

Omokri noted that the refinery and fertiliser complex is not a drain on public resources, as it generates its own electricity, 650 megawatts in total, with 500 megawatts from the refinery and 150 megawatts from the fertiliser plant.

He commended Dangote Industries for its commitment to innovation and infrastructure, stating that the company’s in-house research laboratory has reduced dependence on foreign testing facilities and lowered operational costs.

Omokri further credited President Tinubu for conceiving the idea of the Lekki Free Trade Zone during his tenure as Lagos State governor, saying the initiative transformed what was once virgin bushland into a world-class industrial corridor attracting over $25 billion in investments.

He called on the government, labour unions and citizens to collaborate in ensuring the success of the project, stressing that it holds immense implications for investor confidence in Nigeria.

“If this facility fails, no bank or venture capitalist will be willing to invest in Nigeria. We all have a stake, government, citizens and unions alike, in making sure it succeeds,” Omokri added.

He also urged Nigerians to support local industries by patronising Dangote products, noting that increased domestic demand would enable the company to expand its fertiliser output from three million to nine million tonnes annually, making it the largest in the world.

“Cooperation is better than confrontation,” he said. “When we buy Nigerian-made goods, we strengthen our industries, create jobs and stabilise our currency.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, King Bubaraye Dakolo, expressed the Niger Delta’s support for Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the Dangote Refinery, describing it as a milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to locally refine crude oil and end distortions in the downstream sector.

In a statement titled ‘The Niger Delta Stands with Local Manufacturing and Distribution. The Niger Delta Stands with Dangote’, Dakolo said the region takes pride in Dangote’s investment, noting that local refining would bring greater benefits to Nigerians than dependence on imported fuel.

He urged all levels of government, the private sector and labour unions to cooperate with Dangote to ensure the refinery’s success, warning against actions that could undermine the project.

The monarch also criticised PENGASSAN for its historical opposition to refinery privatisation, recalling that a strike in 2007 forced the reversal of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refinery sale to Bluestar Oil, led by Dangote.

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