A leading energy expert, Dan Kunle, has called on President Bola Tinubu to put an end to the petrol importation racket in Nigeria, emphasizing the need to prioritize local refining.
Kunle’s remarks come as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited and certain marketers continue to import petrol and diesel despite the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s capacity to meet domestic demand.
Kunle likened the massive importation of petrol and diesel to the notorious ‘cement Armada’ scandal of the 1970s, where hundreds of cement-laden ships flooded Nigerian ports, causing years of congestion.
He expressed disappointment that, despite the President’s directive and the Federal Executive Council’s decision to allocate local crude oil to domestic refineries, relevant government agencies are disregarding these directives without consequences.
“The Dangote Refinery is operational, refining 550,000 barrels per day and producing high-quality products. This importation is completely unnecessary,” Kunle stated.
He emphasized that it defies logic for certain individuals to continue pushing for imports, especially when countries like the United States are protecting domestic industries to boost their own economies.
Kunle called on President Tinubu to demand a transition timetable from the relevant authorities, outlining when Nigeria will shift from being an importer of refined products to a net exporter.
He stressed that the Dangote Refinery is a strategic national asset and urged the government to remove obstacles to its smooth operation.
With the Dangote Refinery’s capacity and the reported revival of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, Kunle believes Nigeria should be transitioning from reliance on oil imports to becoming a net exporter of refined petroleum products.
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