Buhari joined five African leaders in commissioning Dangote Refinery today.

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, along with his counterparts from Ghana, Togo, Senegal, Niger, and Chad, will commission the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals in an event that will go down in history as a watershed moment and positively transform the landscape of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

Today, May 22, is the day that is set aside for the commissioning of the Dangote Refinery, which was founded by Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa.

The petroleum refinery is situated on 2,635 hectares of land in the Dangote Industries Free Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. It has the capacity to process 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), and it will offer employment to more than 100,000 people.

It is anticipated that the completion of the enormous project will mark Nigeria’s departure from the league of oil-rich nations that are also significant consumers of petroleum products.

Togo’s President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, Senegal’s President Macky Sall, Niger Republic’s President Mohamed Bazoum, Chad’s President Mahamat Déby, and a host of ambassadors are among those who are anticipated to attend the historic event. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who will not be physically present but will present his goodwill message virtually.

As of the time this report was written, all 36 state governors and the majority of governors-elect, ministers, senators, and captains of industry in Nigeria, as well as others from outside the country, global oil traders, top international bankers, and international multilateral agencies, have indicated their readiness to grace the ceremony.
It is anticipated that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect of Nigeria, will attend the event. Tinubu’s administration as Governor of Lagos in 2002 was responsible for establishing the Free Trade Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, which is where the Refinery is located.

In the meantime, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) stated that the Dangote Refinery, which has the capacity to process 650,000 barrels of oil per day, may be the key to the nation’s long-awaited industrial renaissance.

MAN extended its congratulations to the president and management of the Dangote group on the completion and planned commissioning of its Petroleum Refinery located in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. The refinery is currently in the process of being commissioned today.

The Director-General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, stated that the refinery is the “World’s Largest Single Train 650,000 barrels per day Petroleum Refinery with a 9000 KTPA Polypropylene Plant ever built.” The refinery is located on land that is approximately 2,635 hectares in size.

“It is heartening to learn that the Refinery is capable of fulfilling one hundred percent of Nigeria’s demand for all refined products (gasoline, 57 million litres per day; diesel, 27 million litres per day; kerosene, 11 million litres per day; and aviation jet, nine million litres per day), as well as having a surplus of each of these products available for export.

“Therefore, the coming onboard of the Dangote Refinery promises to bring to a pleasant end, the nightmare of long queues at gasoline filling stations and the disruption of social and economic activities that come with it,”

In addition, he mentioned that once the refinery is fully operational, it is anticipated that it will bring in $10 billion from the sale of refined petroleum products and save Nigeria an estimated $10 billion in foreign exchange.

According to him, the refinery is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and it is designed to produce with one hundred percent Nigerian Crude, in addition to having the flexibility to process other crudes from Africa, the Middle East, and the United States of America.

“It possesses a Self-sufficient Marine facility that is equipped with the capacity for freight optimization. The refinery will be able to produce Diesel and Gasoline Products that are Compliant with Euro V Specifications by Placing the Largest Single Order of 5 SPMs Anywhere in the World. The design of the refinery meets the emission and effluent standards set forth by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the World Bank, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and European Union.

“To cushion the potential impact of an increase in mean sea level due to global warming, the company took the appropriate measures, including using the world’s largest, seventh and 10th largest dredgers to elevate the sea height by 1.5 meters.

“Dangote Group is one of the few companies in the world that is executing a Petroleum Refinery and a Petrochemical complex directly as an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Contractor. According to what he said, “globally, apart from three companies, no individual owner has done the complete EPC Contract for a petroleum refinery.” This is something that he mentioned.

According to Ajayi-Kadir, the Refinery has the highest number of employees of any private company. This number includes 100,000 people who are employed indirectly at retail outlets, 26,716 filling stations, and 129 depots throughout Nigeria.

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He went on to say that the 16,000 trucks that will be used for transport will result in the creation of additional jobs and that the company has already trained over 400 artisans from the host communities in the areas of masonry, carpentry, air conditioning electricians, plumbing, welding, iron-bending, and automobile mechanics as part of the process.

The commissioning of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is noteworthy due to the fact that it is the first time that a refinery of such magnitude that was built by an individual is being put into operation.

It is anticipated that Dangote’s petroleum refinery will be able to satisfy the demands of Nigerian consumers as well as those of consumers in neighboring countries, while also enabling exports to countries outside of the African continent. Over half of the countries that make up the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are dependent on imported refined petroleum products, which is why the refinery will be a driving force in the promotion of the AfCFTA.

According to the Facts Sheet on Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the new refinery has the capacity to meet 100 percent of Nigeria’s demand for all refined products (Gasoline, 53 million litres per day; Diesel, 34 million litres per day; Kerosene, 10 million litres per day; and Aviation Jet, 2 million litres per day), as well as have a surplus of each of these products available for export.

“The refinery is designed for the processing of 100 percent Nigerian Crude, but it also has the flexibility to handle other crudes.” It possesses self-sufficient marine facilities with the capability for freight optimization and holds the record for the largest single order of five SPMs anywhere in the world. Products such as diesel and gasoline that come from the refinery will adhere to the Euro V specifications.

The design of the refinery adheres to the emission and effluent standards set forth by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the World Bank, and European Union. technology that is at the forefront of its field. According to the Facts sheet, “Designed to process a large variety of crudes including a significant portion of the African Crudes, some of the Middle Eastern Crudes, and the United States Light Tight Oil.”

It also stated that “65 Million Cubic Metres of sand would be dredged at a cost of approximately Euros 300 Million, using the world’s largest, the second largest, and the tenth largest dredgers to elevate the height by 1.5 Meters, to insure against any potential impact of an increase in mean sea level due to global warming.” In order to improve the local capacity for site works, over 1,209 different pieces of equipment were purchased.

“332 cranes to build up the capacity for equipment installation.” We constructed the largest granite quarry in the world so that we could obtain coarse aggregate, stone column material, stone base, stone dust, and material for break water. 10 million tonnes of annual capacity for production.

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“Developed a port and constructed two quays with a load bearing capacity of 25 tonnes/sq meters to bring Over Dimensional Cargoes close to the site directly. In addition, the company built two more quays in the port with the capacity to handle up to Panamax vessels in order to export the fertilizer and the petrochemicals. Additionally, the company built two quays in order to handle liquid cargoes. As a result, the port will have a total of six quays, one of which will be a roll-on/roll-off quay,” the sheet stated.