PRESIDENT of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has challenged the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to conduct tests on its products to determine the credibility of the agency’s claim that its diesel is inferior to those imported.
Affirming the quality of his product during a tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Dangote Fertiliser Limited complex by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and other House members on Saturday, July 20, Dangote said the NMDPRA’s head of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, made his claim without sufficient knowledge of his refinery.
On July 19, The ICIR reported how Ahmed claimed that the quality of diesel produced by Dangote Refinery was inferior to those imported into the country.
Dangote told his guests that his company offered Nigeria and the rest of the world where his products are exported quality products, adding that they meet international standards.
He restated the superiority of his products over their imported counterparts after the House leadership insisted on testing other diesel products, alongside Dangote’s diesel.
The lawmakers tested the Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) from two different petrol stations alongside Dangote Petroleum Refinery and commended the company for its significant investments and contributions to Nigeria’s development.
The diesel samples were procured from two well-known filling stations near Eleko Junction along the Lekki Epe Expressway, by the House of Representatives members.
Chairman of the House committee on downstream, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, and Chairman of the House committee on midstream, Okojie Odianosen, oversaw the collection of samples from the Mild Hydro Cracking (MHC) unit of the Dangote refinery for testing of all the samples.
Laboratory tests revealed that Dangote’s diesel had a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm (parts per million), whereas the other two samples showed sulphur levels exceeding 1800 ppm and 2000 ppm respectively.
Responding to the tests, Dangote emphasised that the findings debunked Ahmed’s claims that passed his products as inferior.
Dangote openly challenged the regulator to compare the quality of refined products from his refinery with those imported, advocating for an impartial assessment to determine what best serves the interests of Nigerians.
“We produce the best diesel in Nigeria. It’s disheartening that instead of safeguarding the market, the regulator is undermining it. Our doors are open for the regulator to conduct tests on our products anytime; transparency is paramount to us.
“It would be beneficial for the regulator to showcase its laboratory to the world so Nigerians can compare. Our interest is Nigeria first because if Nigeria doesn’t grow, we have limited capacity for growth.
“Right Honourable Speaker and esteemed members, you’ve witnessed the results of the credibility test. I appreciate your wise counsel in procuring samples from the filling stations alongside our refinery’s product. Ours shows a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm, approximately 88, whereas the others exceeded 1,800 ppm. Although the NMDPRA permits local refiners to produce diesel with sulphur content up to 650 ppm until January 2025, as approved by ECOWAS, ours is significantly lower,” he added.
Dangote also said that he aimed to achieve 10 ppm, aligning with the Euro V standard.
“Imported diesel is capped at 50 ppm, but as you’ve seen, those from the stations, imported by major marketers, fall well outside this standard,” he told the House of Representatives members.
In what appears to be an indictment to the regulator, Dangote told the Speaker and his team that high-sulphur content diesel regularly imported into the country often comes with dubious certifications.
He emphasised that the most effective method to verify the quality is to purchase the product directly from filling stations and conduct credibility tests.
According to him, this issue has resulted in health risks and financial losses for Nigerians.
“The best method to verify this is to purchase the product directly from filling stations where end-users obtain it. I believe Farouk Ahmed speaks without sufficient knowledge of our refinery. We have successfully exported diesel and jet fuel to Europe and Asia without any complaints; in fact, we have received repeated orders, indicating satisfaction with our products.”
Supporting Dangote’s assertion, Vice President of Gas and Oil at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, highlighted recent actions by European countries like Belgium and the Netherlands.
“These countries have expressed concerns about the carcinogenic effects of high-sulphur diesel being dumped into the Nigerian market, prompting them to impose bans on such fuel exports to West Africa.”
Edwin informed the lawmakers that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, designed to process a wide range of crudes including various African and Middle Eastern crudes, as well as United States Light Tight Oil, conformed to Euro V specifications.
The ICIR reported the accusations by management of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) that the International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria consistently frustrated the company’s requests for locally-produced crude as feedstock for its refining process.
The company also informed that the IOCs offered a higher price above the market price to the refinery.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.