The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote, has reacted to the allegations by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) that the refinery is producing products of low quality.
Dangote, in a statement to newsmen on Saturday, said the refinery’s products not only comply with set standards but have also surpassed those of its contemporaries, with a parts per million (ppm) measurement now at 32.
The business mogul said the refinery was initially producing around 665 ppm of product, which was considered the best quality at the time.
However, the sulfur level in their products has since been reduced to 32 ppm.
He added that tests have shown some filling stations across Nigeria sell products with sulfur levels as high as 1000 ppm and above.
“In terms of quality, when we started, our quality was about six hundred to six fifty ppm, the ppm was one of the best in terms of quality at the time we started.
“But as of today, we are at 87 ppm. And you can take a sample on Monday. By Monday, we will be less than 50 ppm. By the beginning of August, we will be at 10 ppm.
“In terms of quality, nobody can produce anything better than us. I just got the result from our official 5 minutes ago, we are now down to even 32 ppm,” Dangote said.
Dangote calls on Regulators to test product
In addition, Dangote challenged regulators, including the NMDPRA, to come to the refinery and examine the quality of their products.
The African richest man noted that while other filling stations have flashpoints as low as 26, their products maintain a flashpoint of 96.
According to him, the flashpoint metrics set by regulators should not be below 66.
He added that the ppm of their refinery is set to reach below 10 before the middle of August.
“When we were coming here, the Speaker of the House said we should pick up samples from two filling stations. And when we got to our plant, we also picked up samples. The results have actually come out.
“They checked that of Total which was 1,890 ppm. The other filling station came to 2,563 ppm. Then the flashpoint metrics was 61 which is below the minimum. The minimum is 66. Also, the Total number is 26 flashpoints. Ours is 96. The records are there. We don’t believe in the test of people when they bring in ships. We do our own tests.
“I want to plead to the regulators to come at any time and before they get here, our ppm will be below 10”, Dangote added.
Backstory
Earlier, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) alleged that the Dangote Refinery was producing inferior products compared to imported ones.
Farouk Ahmed, the head of NMDPRA, made this claim, stating that the quality of diesel produced by Dangote was 665 ppm, which he considered inferior.
Ahmed’s statement sparked a significant public backlash. Many people found his remarks unacceptable, arguing that they undermined a major local industry and did not reflect the true quality of the refinery’s products.
In response, Dangote has invited regulators to test their products. The company said that they are producing better quality products than most filling stations across Nigeria, confidently standing by the superior quality of their output.
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