Kwankwaso to FG: Dangote refinery a national asset — it must not fail

Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 elections, says the federal government should ensure the success of the Dangote refinery project.

The refinery has recently been in the news after Aliko Dangote, the chairman of the Dangote Group, alleged plans to frustrate its operations.

On June 4, Dangote claimed that some international oil companies (IOCs) were struggling to supply crude to the refinery.

On July 15, Gbenga Komolafe, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), described the claim as “erroneous,” noting that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has provisions that guide willing buyer-willing seller transactions.

On July 18, Farouk Ahmed, the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), said local refineries, including the Dangote refinery, were producing inferior products compared to imported ones.

The oil regulator had also accused Dangote of monopoly.

On July 20, Dangote refuted claims that petroleum products from his refinery are substandard.

On Sunday, Africa’s richest man expressed willingness to sell the oil refinery to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

On Monday, the house of representatives launched an investigation into these allegations.

Commenting on the development in a post published on his X page on Wednesday, Kwankwaso described the recent controversy surrounding the Dangote refinery’s integrity as an ”unnecessary fuss”.

The former governor of Kano said the federal government must exhibit fairness towards such a monumental project.

“I was privileged to visit the magnificent Dangote Refinery, and I was marvelled by the sheer commitment that went into the quality of its establishment,” he wrote.

“This 650,000-bpd refinery is essential for our energy needs and economic stability, and it must be protected from all forms of threat.

“The creation of unnecessary fuss around its integrity by some vested interests is very unfortunate, and it stands to undo all the years of hard work to maintain the fragile investor confidence in our economy.

“It’s time for us to rally around this national asset to ensure that the monumental project does not fail. It cannot fail, and the Nigerian government must understand this by demonstrating fairness and confidence in both domestic and foreign critical investments.”