NewStats: 3,261,179 , 8,173,307 topics. Date: Wednesday, 28 May 2025 at 01:04 PM 6q1l50

Nigerians have called out the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority, Farouk Ahmed, for saying the diesel produced by the $20bn Dangote refinery is inferior to the ones imported into the country.

It appears Ahmed incurred the wrath of Nigerians, who accused him of trying to demarket the refinery owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.

PUNCH Online reported earlier that Ahmed had told the Dangote refinery that the Federal Government would not stop the importation of petroleum products, saying Nigeria cannot depend on one refinery to feed the nation.

The agency also said the diesel from the Dangote refinery contains a high sulphur content of about 1,000 parts per million.

Reacting to allegations that the NMDPRA was giving licences to some traders to import dirty fuel into Nigeria, Ahmed argued that it was the Dangote fuel that had the larger content of sulphur.

He revealed that the refinery, which has been selling diesel and aviation fuel in Nigeria for months, has not been licensed, stating that it is still at the pre-commissioning stage.

"The claim by some media houses that there were steps to scuttle the Dangote refinery is not so. The Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet; we haven’t licensed them yet. They are still in the pre-commissioning. I think they have about 45 per cent completion,” he declared.

The NMDPRA boss warned that Nigeria cannot rely heavily on the Dangote refinery for its fuel supply.

According to him, the refinery had requested the regulator to stop giving import licences to other marketers so as to be the only fuel supplier in Nigeria.

“We cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation, because Dangote is requesting that we should suspend or stop importation of all petroleum products, especially AGO and direct all marketers to the refinery, that is not good for the nation in of energy security. And that is not good for the market, because of monopoly,” he stressed.

Speaking about quality, he said, “So, in of quality, currently the AGO quality in of sulphur is the lowest as far as the West African requirement of 50 ppm is concerned.

"Dangote refinery and some modular refineries, like Waltersmith refinery and Aradel refinery, are producing between 650 to 1,200ppm. So, in of quality, their product is much more inferior to the imported quality,” he alleged.

While the Dangote Group has yet to react officially to the allegations from the chief executive, Nigerians have taken to social media to demand Ahmed’s removal by President Bola Tinubu

An X , Ohiozoje Augustine, said, “He should be immediately relieved of his duties to prevent the damaging impression that his actions were endorsed by those at the top.”

@realist_waley opined: “It’s a very deliberate reckless talk that should warrant a query from the government. This is an obvious economic sabotage and that guy needs to be suspended.”

@Talk2me001, replied the NMDPRA boss: “This is your own selfish agenda. Why do we need to import when we already have Dangote producing legally? Truly, Dangote is right then, that the oil cabals are more dangerous than drug cabals.”

@Dankatsina50 said: “This is a strategy to frustrate Dangote refinery. This has been the game of the oil cabals that has made a whole country not have a single functioning refinery for years. They should allow him to be selling the inferior one to us like that, we will buy it.”

@Gviev commented, “I hope the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor and Minister of Finance are listening to this man. We are talking about promoting local production and exports to reduce demand for foreign exchange and strengthen the naira. He and the oil marketers are rather focused on their selfish interest to keep importing and depressing the naira.

“You should be talking about competition for local producers instead of trying to manipulate Nigerians to focus on your propaganda that Dangote wants a monopoly. Well, it’s Nigeria that will suffer it because Dangote Refinery will just focus on exports.”

Johnson Ayodeji asked, “Oga, is it Dangote that made the government-owned refineries moribund for decades? or has Dangote stopped any other person from building a refinery? We know the enemies of our country.”

Sola Solarin claimed, “This statement is self-indicting. If Dangote has not been licensed, why is he being allowed to sell diesel? If Dangote can meet our local needs, why do we need to import? We can restrict import without compromising energy security.”

https://punchng.com/nigerians-seek-removal-of-nmdpra-boss-over-dangote-refinery/

He won't be removed. The indian man working for Dangote fired the first shot

Paraman:
He won't be removed. The indian man working for Dangote fired the first shot

He fired correctly and this mumu corrupt official ought to be talking to DSS right now. That refinery is bigger than some african economy and if any random individual had made such remarks about a $20b economy, treason will be accused.

Edwin aa right about marketers importing sulphur saturated diesel. Can this aboki prove his own claim?

All of them (Tinubu men) don dey envy Dangote, because he's making billions legitimately and not a thief like them, if to say them allow our own refineries to work, Dangote for no even think about building one. Out of their envy they force him to import crude while we have it in abundance being shipped out of this country by mafias. Thank God for Dangote's refinery as its presence will make other refineries in Nigeria to function. It is now that i somewhat desire a northern president for we saw how Buhari ed Dangote, any northerner as president would do the same for right now it's now a government of Nepotism. Actually, price of fuel will come down in the future as long as we now have Dangote.

Standing5:
He fired correctly and this mumu corrupt official ought to be talking to DSS right now. That refinery is bigger than some african economy and if any random individual had made such remarks about a $20b economy, treason will be accused.

Edwin aa right about marketers importing sulphur saturated diesel. Can this aboki prove his own claim?

Why should he be speaking to the DSS? Do you have any evidence against him?

Paraman:
Why should he be speaking to the DSS? Do you have any evidence against him?

my evidence is his lack of evidence against Dangote

Standing5:
my evidence is his lack of evidence against Dangote

I don't understand the point you're ing across

I don't have any evidence to know who's wrong between him and Dangote sha. But the sulphur contents in fuels imported into Nigeria must not be more than 650ppm per million litre.

Remman:
All of them (Tinubu men) don dey envy Dangote, because he's making billions legitimately and not a thief like them, if to say them allow our own refineries to work, Dangote for no even think about building one. Out of their envy they force him to import crude while we have it in abundance being shipped out of this country by mafias. Thank God for Dangote's refinery as its presence will make other refineries in Nigeria to function. It is now that i somewhat desire a northern president for we saw how Buhari ed Dangote, any northerner as president would do the same for right now it's now a government of Nepotism. Actually, price of fuel will come down in the future as long as we now have Dangote.

You have oil inside your head. God Bless you for this.

The regulator is right.

What grounds do Dangote have to demand sole right to the Nigerian market?? Let him compete against the importers.

This practice of banning imports to stimulate local industries has never worked in Nigeria. We have tried it over and over from the 1980s till date, it didn't solve our problems, it's time to try a different approach - open markets.

Even fresh in our minds is the rice situation. The greedy local producers usually just take advantage of the govt initiative without the consumers benefiting in of options and pricing.

Let Dangote compete for the markets fairly in of quality and pricing.

Even before now, I have heard it directly from a diesel supplier that the quality of Dangote's diesel is not yet good and he can't supply it to his clients. This supplier is even a Northerner.

agabusta:
The regulator is right.
What grounds do Dangote have to demand sole right to the Nigerian market?? Let him compete against the importers.
This practice of banning imports to stimulate local industries has never worked in Nigeria. We have tried it over and over from the 1980s till date, it didn't solve our problems, it's time to try a different approach - open markets.
Even fresh in our minds is the rice situation. The greedy local producers usually just take advantage of the govt initiative without the consumers benefiting in of options and pricing.
Let Dangote compete for the markets fairly in of quality and pricing.
Even before now, I have heard it directly from a diesel supplier that the quality of Dangote's diesel is not yet good and he can't supply it to his clients. This supplier is even a Northerner.

He also said Dangote Refinery had not been issued an operating license and that AGO from the refinery was substandard.