A group, the Arewa Group Youth Assembly, has urged the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote, to obey the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited as the country’s regulatory body for the oil and gas industry.
Recall that Dangote Refinery has stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is supplying insufficient crude oil for its production needs, hence its plan to source crude from Brazil and America.
President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, alongside the NNPCL, have been embroiled in a dispute ranging from monopoly allegations to crude oil supply for the refinery, substandard fuel imports, and ownership of blending plants in Malta.
However, Dangote, in a new revelation, said that for the $20 billion refinery to meet its production demand, it must seek other sources of crude oil supply overseas as the NNPCL allocation is insufficient.
Reacting to the development at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mohammed Salihu Danlami, said it would be selfish for the company to expect the NNPCL to bend protocols to serve them.
He said that since before the establishment of the Aliko Dangote refinery, the NNPCL, NUPRC, and NMDPRA have existed to carry out their duties as regulatory bodies.
Danlami said Dangote should understand that these are sectors dealing with regulations.
He said “Therefore, the bodies expect him to abide by the rules and nothing more. Even the Dangote Group has its own rules and regulations that all stakeholders must adhere to.
“It is surprising that Aliko Dangote, as a businessman, has forgotten that competition is inevitable in business.”
He accused Dangote of wanting to dictate the price at which crude oil should be sold to him, which is contrary to the principles of global best practices.
“Our findings show that he wants NMDPRA not to license anyone else to bring in products. They said no! He blackmails them and is trying to incite Nigerians against NMDPRA, claiming they are giving licenses to marketers who bring in substandard products into the country.
“We are calling on the National Assembly to make public the laboratory results from his own refinery because information we are getting from different sources indicates that the products are substandard.
“We know Mr. Dangote has been operating all his life in an industry without regulation, but the oil and energy industry has rules and regulations.”
Danlami said Dangote should be reasonable so that all parties can work for the interest of our nation unless he has an ulterior motive of trying to undermine the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We want to make it clear to the public that the Nigerian Government is committed to excellence. Dangote should be a benchmark for quality and stop seeking undue advantage for his selfish desires.”
