Taiwo Niyi
The Dangote Refinery has refuted recent claims suggesting it resells crude oil purchased from Nigeria and the United States to other traders. In a statement released on Saturday, Tony Chiejina, the spokesperson for the Dangote Group, dismissed the allegations and clarified that the refinery’s 650,000 barrels per day crude distillation unit (CDU) is fully operational.
Chiejina emphasized that the claims were false and misled the public, asserting that the refinery is not authorized to resell crude oil. He accused those spreading the rumors of having vested interests in delaying the local refining of fuel.
“Our attention has been drawn to a misleading report suggesting that our refinery’s CDU is facing issues and that we are reselling crude oil. We categorically deny these claims. The Dangote Refinery is not authorized to sell crude oil, and our CDU is functioning optimally,” Chiejina stated.
This denial comes amid ongoing allegations by Dangote Refinery that International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria are selling crude oil to them at inflated prices. Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, had previously accused the IOCs of hindering the refinery’s full-scale operation.