To address the persisting problems surrounding the Dangote Refinery, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the minister of state for petroleum resources, has called a high-level conference with important players in the oil and gas industry.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited’s group chief executive officer, Mele Kyari, met with the chief executive officers of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Gbenga Komolafe, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and Aliko Dangote, the chairman and CEO of the Dangote Group, on Monday.
Nneamaka Okafor, Lokpobiri’s Special Advisor for Media and Communication, made this announcement in a statement on Monday.
“All sides showed a commitment to proactive and cooperative problem-solving, with the meeting’s main goal being to find a long-term, sustainable solution to the current deadlock affecting the Dangote Refinery.
In order to secure the success and optimal performance of the oil and gas sector—which is essential for Nigeria’s economic growth and energy security—all stakeholders must work together, as said in the statement.
In response to claims of monopoly in the sector, Dangote made an offer to the NNPC on Sunday to sell his share in the Dangote Refinery.
Dangote extended the offer to Premium Times during a special interview.
This followed allegations made by the NMDPRA chief executive that Dangote had asked the regulator to suspend granting import licenses to other marketers in order to become Nigeria’s exclusive fuel supplier.
Dangote is asking that we ban or cease the importation of all petroleum products, particularly AGO, and divert all marketers to the refinery; this is not good for the country’s energy security, so we cannot rely solely on one refinery to feed the country. And because of monopolies, that is bad for the market,” Ahmed said in a video chat with reporters from the State House.
