The Dangote Refinery finally commenced operations in the early hours of Friday with diesel and aviation fuel production.
Africa’s richest person and Nigerian businessman, Aliko Dangote, has expressed his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his support towards the actualization of the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery.
The founder of Dangote Group equally thanked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and Nigerians in general for their unwavering belief in the mega project.
This is contained in a statement shared on the company’s X (formerly Twitter) account in the early hours of Saturday, January 13, 2023.
The company also confirmed that the multi-billion dollar Dangote Refinery, located in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, has finally commenced production.
The historic project began production of diesel and aviation fuel in the early hours of Friday, January 12, 2024.
“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,” Dangote said.
He also extended his gratitude to the Lagos State Government under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, bankers and financiers, as well as the host communities and their traditional rulers for their cooperation on the project.
“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,” he added.
The company noted that the Refinery can load 2,900 trucks daily at its truck-loading gantries, adding that its products will conform to Euro V specifications.
It also stated that the facility’s design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and DPR emission/effluent norms.
The development comes days after the Refinery received its sixth installment of one million barrels of crude cargo required to commence operations.
When fully operational, the 650,000 barrel-per-day facility has been touted as a game-changer for Nigeria’s economy by helping to end the country’s reliance on imported fuel.
