Dangote Refinery has began distributing its first batch of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as petrol, from its 650,000 barrels-per-day facility on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference, Aliko Dangote, the billionaire businessman and owner of the Lagos-based refinery, described the day as a “celebration” for Nigerians.
Dangote assured the public that they would now have access to high-quality petrol that would extend the life of vehicle engines.
He said, “Nigerians are now going to have good petrol while the engines of your vehicles will last longer. You will not be having an engine issue, which a lot of us were having. It won’t happen at all.”
“The quality here will match that of anywhere in the world; US, America, we will make sure that nobody will beat us in terms of quality.”
Dangote also emphasized that once his company finalizes arrangements with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the fuel would be available on the market.
He said, “As soon as we finalise with the NNPCL, our product will start going into the market.
“We will help to restore industry and manufacturing. We will begin real import substitution, which is what we have, you know, saving foreign exchange, earning foreign exchange, which will stabilise the naira, and it will also help bring down inflation and cost of living.”
Last December, Dangote began operations at his $20 billion facility in Lagos, starting with 350,000 barrels per day.
After overcoming initial regulatory hurdles, Dangote refinery is targeting full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day by the end of the year.
In addition to petrol, the refinery has already begun supplying diesel and aviation fuel to local marketers.
KanyiDaily recalls that President Bola Tinubu has ordered the NNPC to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery in naira.
