The Dangote Oil Refinery has refuted claims that it was reselling crude oil cargoes purchased from the United States and Nigeria to other traders.
Tony Chiejina, the spokesperson for the Dangote Group, labeled the report as entirely false in an interview with The PUNCH.
Reuters had previously reported that three out of four trade sources familiar with the situation linked the reoffer to technical problems at the refinery.
However, Chiejina clarified that the refinery is still procuring crude from Angola and Libya, and the crude distillation unit is operating efficiently.
He stated, “This is an outright falsehood. We are sourcing more crude from Angola and Libya. Our crude distillation unit is functioning perfectly well. You can visit the refinery today or tomorrow to verify this,” he told our correspondent on Saturday.
In a follow-up statement on Saturday, Chiejina urged the public to dismiss such reports, suggesting that they were intended to undermine the refinery.
“Our attention has been drawn to a misleading report alleging issues with our refinery’s crude distillation unit (CDU) and claims of reselling crude oil.
“We categorically deny these allegations. The Dangote refinery is not authorized to sell crude oil purchased from Nigeria, and our CDU is fully operational and performing optimally.
“We advise the public to disregard these false narratives, which are likely driven by interests opposed to local fuel refining,” he said.
The 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery began operations earlier this year, facing challenges related to crude supply.
Sources had indicated that cargoes of Nigerian Escravos and Forcados, as well as US WTI Midland, were among the crude grades offered.
It is worth noting that the Vice President of Oil & Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. DVG Edwin, recently claimed that international oil companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria had consistently obstructed the company’s attempts to secure locally produced crude as feedstock for its refining process.
