Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, has expressed his gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other key figures for their support in bringing the Dangote Petroleum Refinery online.
The refinery, a landmark project of Africa’s richest man, has begun producing diesel and aviation fuel, marking a significant step forward for Nigeria’s energy sector.
In a statement on Saturday, Dangote acknowledged Tinubu’s role in overcoming obstacles and expediting the project’s completion. He also thanked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), regulatory bodies, and the Nigerian people for their faith in the venture.
“This is a big day for Nigeria,” Dangote declared. “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, and I am very fulfilled with the actualisation of this project.”
The refinery has already received six million barrels of crude oil and is poised to commence fuel distribution within the month, pending regulatory approvals. Its products will meet strict Euro V emission standards, reflecting the refinery’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
The Refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries. The products from the Refinery will conform to Euro V specifications. The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms; employing state-of-the-art technology.
Dangote extended his appreciation to financial institutions, the Lagos State government under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the project’s host communities for their contributions.
He particularly commended the communities for their patience and willingness to collaborate on finding solutions throughout the construction process.
“I must extend our sincere appreciation to our Bankers and financiers, both local and offshore, who demonstrated a great deal of patience, in seeing us through many difficult times. In the same vein, we thank the Government of Lagos State, under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who has been incredibly proactive in ensuring that the many challenges we encountered in the course of executing this project were quickly resolved. I thank him immensely.
“I also sincerely thank our host communities and their Traditional leaders for their sustained patience, forbearance and admirable willingness to work with us to find amicable and win-win resolutions to the many issues we have had to deal with as the construction of this huge facility progressed. Our staff have also contributed so immensely to the success of this project. I thank them profusely,” the statement added.
