The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has dismissed the unsubstantiated speculation that the petrol unit had underwent a shutdown for an extended period of time. The company stated production was ongoing and no decision had been made about shutting down the operation.
Over the last few days, it was claimed that the catalytic cracking unit had failed, with speculation that it could be down for weeks. It was also claimed that the technical issue or issues could impact production of petrol to not only the Nigerian market, but to other markets. According to the Dangote Group, these claims are false, misleading, and intended to incite unnecessary panic.
According to Anthony Chiejina, a spokesman for the Group, the shutdown claims are “fake news.” Chiejina further stated the Refinery has continued supply petrol and it has not stopped loading trucks. “The report that a major production unit would be shut down for two or three months is hype,” said Chiejina. He also questioned whether “news reports would use speculation instead of facts.”
Chiejina noted that the Dangote Refinery continued to concentrate on addressing supplies of petrol to the internal market of Nigeria in efforts to achieve stabilization in a wrecked supply chain. He urged Nigerians to believe that the refinery was not only operational but would be ramping up production to supply the domestic market and export. “Our petrol unit is running, and there is production,” stated Chiejina.
In another vain, the refinery has already started factoring in the energy market. It has contributed to the reduction of the amount of petrol imported into Nigeria and has changed the trade routes in West Africa. It has begun shipping some of its products to international markets, indicating that competition is now available globally.
The management also emphasize that transparency and professionalism is the focus of the Refinery. So, the management has called on stakeholders, including the media, to check the accuracy of any report before publication.
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