Nigeria’s business tycoon and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has expressed concerns over the quality of imported diesel in the country. Dangote made the claim on Saturday during the visit of the leadership of the House of Representatives, led by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and his deputy, Benjamin Kalu, to the Dangote Refinery in Lagos State.
Dangote highlighted the high sulfur content in imported diesel, stating that samples tested from two filling stations had sulfur levels of over 1,800 ppm and 2,600 ppm, respectively. This is significantly higher than the 600 to 650 ppm sulfur content in diesel produced by Dangote’s refinery and far exceeds the 87 ppm sulfur content in diesel produced by Dangote today.
Dangote urged authorities to investigate the matter, suggesting that there may be saboteurs in the oil sector or ulterior motives to demarket his business. He proposed a solution to determine the quality of imported diesel by testing samples bought from filling stations.
He said, “The most important thing, Your Excellency, is to note that the imported one they are encouraging, is the spec in the test, but in certain cases, when you check (independently), different results will show.”
Refuting the allegation made by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, that petroleum products from his refinery are substandard, Dangote said his products are better than imported ones, and they comply with the highest standards.
Dangote, who provided evidence to back up his claim, said diesel bought from two filling stations and that from his refinery was tested at the refinery’s laboratories using the ASTM D4294 method.
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