NASS Vows To Protect 650,000bpd Dangote Refinery

The Senate has said the federal government would do all that is necessary to protect and ensure sustainability of the 650,000bpd Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, gave the assurance when he led the leadership of the 10th Senate on a tour of the Refinery in Lagos. The refinery would reduce waste associated with the importation of petroleum products.

He assured that the National Assembly would do what is necessary to protect the project because Nigeria and Africa should take ownership of it and protect it.

Akpabio commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote for completing the construction of the largest single-train refinery in the world in record time and said Dangote deserved all the accolades for this feat.

He said, “They told us in Abuja that Dangote Refinery is a farce, but we have come here and see for ourselves that the refinery is alive and running. Dangote has put a lot of people to shame.

“They are wondering how it will be possible for a single individual to accomplish what a whole nation could not accomplish, what 240 million people could not maintain, what a continent could not do, and then one person will build a 650,000bpd project.

“They keep wondering how one person can succeed where nations have failed, where continents have failed. But Dangote has done it. It is highly commendable. We came to see the refinery because we, the current senate, believe in the Nigerian dream. We didn’t come as a doubting Thomas, but we came because we believe in the project; we came to rekindle the hope of Nigerians and the Nigerian’s can-do spirit.”

Senator Akpabio stated that the whole of Nigeria couldn’t make refineries function in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Warri, but that Dangote and his team have proven that it is possible to dream and achieve it in Nigeria.”

READ ALSO: Nigeria To Generate Annual Crude Returns Of $21bn From Dangote Refinery

Akpabio said the shame that came with the discovery of oil in Nigeria in 1958 has been removed by Dangote, alluding to a report that India does not have oil but his refineries, from which the country exports refined products.

The nation’s inability to refine its oil has brought untold hardship on Nigerians, so much so that the Belgian government recently banned the exportation of dirty and condemned fuel to West African countries just because we can’t refine our own products, he noted.

Describing the refinery as quite unbelievable, Senator Akpabio, who was sandwiched by other senators, including the Deputy Senate President, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, and a host of others, said the Senate and the entire National Assembly would come up with robust legislation that would protect the project and others like it.

He stated that: “Mr. Dangote, I pity you a lot because even your friends will envy you simply because they will keep wondering how can you succeed when nations, and continents have failed? Now that we have seen for ourselves, we are here to announce our own endorsement of this major project.

It is also shocking to see that we produce sufficient fertilisers for Nigeria and enough for export.

“As I said, we will do our report and speak to Mr President to put a stop to fertiliser import to Nigeria. You will hear from us soon.”

Also speaking, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was enthused that it was a privilege for the refinery to happen in “our time, our state, and our country. People talk about dreams, but only a few can make them happen. Dangote has put Lagos State and the whole of Nigeria on the world map of excellence.

“I am happy the senate came to see for themselves; Dangote was not ready to rest after successfully building the largest cement factory chain in Africa, the second largest sugar refinery in the world. With investment like this, I can assure you that we are on the right path to meet the projected GDP of $1trn by 2030.”

“You have the key to the city, which I gave you a long time ago, and I am happy you are using it very well,” Governor Sanwo-Olu stated.

In his remark, Mr. Dangote explained that the “visit could not have come at a more auspicious time than now just as the organisation is in the process of bringing the various units of this complex integrated refining processes on stream, an eagerly awaited move.”

He stated further that the Dangote Refinery “produces a wide range of high-quality petroleum products, including premium motor spirit (petrol), diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel, all meeting the highest international standards (Euro V Grade). Apart from adding value to our crude oil, the Refinery will yield 900,000 KTPA of Polypropylene and 36,000 KTPA of Sulphur and carbon black as by-products.

“The refinery will help boost Nigeria’s economic growth by creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs. During the construction stage, it supported over 150,000 jobs, which were mostly made up of Nigerians. In the process, these Nigerians acquired various skills that are still useful in other construction projects.

“The refinery’s capacity is enough to satisfy domestic demands for refined products. The Refinery will export about 50 per cent of its production, thereby generating foreign exchange for the country.  It will lead to growth in adjacent logistics, shipping, engineering, and servicing sectors.

“The refinery has the requisite capacity to provide energy security by providing a ready home for our crude and ensuring steady availability of petroleum products. Nigerians will also participate in the financial returns once we list the Refinery on the NGX.

“We are thus making an important contribution to this administration’s plan to grow our GDP to $1 trillion.

“Our Group is at Nigeria’s vanguard of job creation and employment generation. We are the biggest employer of labour after the federal government. Dangote Cement sustains about 70,000 (Seventy thousand) direct and indirect jobs across Africa, while the Refinery, Petroleum Chemical Complex and Fertiliser will be able to create over 150,000 (One hundred and fifty thousand) direct and indirect jobs.

“We have remained one of the biggest contributors to government coffers as our three subsidiaries, Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar Refinery and NASCON Allied Industries, paid a total of N788.98 billion as tax and N276 billion in VAT in three years.

“We envision Nigeria as the equivalent of Jamnagar in India, where crude oil refining is the backbone of specialised industrial zones, transportation networks, and ancillary industries, contributing to the overall industrialisation of the region. Or Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City is also undergirded by large-scale petrochemical complexes.

“The Legislature has a great role to play in this. Globally, the Legislature plays a great role in protecting and supporting domestic industry. I am sure that the members of the 10th National Assembly are more than equal to the task. Supporting the refinery secures the benefits. It will ensure energy security. As co-creators of value, we appreciate and acknowledge your consistent efforts to ensure the enactment of vital laws that promote a conducive business environment in the nation.”