Fuel queues in Nigeria could soon be a thing of the past, according to Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Refinery.
Speaking to State House Correspondents on Tuesday, Dangote urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and fuel marketers to stop importing fuel and instead source it from his refinery.
Dangote expressed confidence that his facility could effectively meet the nation’s fuel demands. He noted that the refinery is prepared to produce between 30 and 32 million litres of fuel daily, with enough stock already available to sustain the country for over 12 days without additional imports.
“What I estimated as our daily consumption is about 30-32 million litters, that one we can even start producing by next week. That is not really an issue because as we speak today, we have 500 million litres in our tanks. With that even if there is no production anywhere or no import, that will take the country more than 12 days,” Dangote said.
“We are very ready, we are more than ready and I am also putting my name on the line that we will be able to supply the market 30 million per day and we are ramping up, so we are ready,” he added.
The refinery’s leader emphasised the urgency for the NNPCL and marketers to collect the fuel they need from his facility, pointing out that holding such a large quantity of fuel is costly.
“So I am expecting that the NNPCL and the marketers should stop importing, they should come and collect what they need. I don’t know if you understand what it means to keep half of billion litres in our tanks, it is costing me money.
“Every day if I am to collect money I can charge 32 per cent in interest. That is what I am losing, If they come and collect then you will not see any queue in the filling stations,” he said.