Atiku Calls On Nigerians To Stand Against Internal, External Forces Impeding Dangote Refinery
Atiku called on Nigerians to take resolute actions to provide reassurance that both internal and external forces are not collaborating to prevent us from reaping the benefits promised by this eagerly anticipated transformative endeavour.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has warned against deliberate attempts by any government agency to impede the progress of the Dangote Refinery, which he described as a “significant private sector project” positioned to meet Nigeria’s energy and forex needs.
Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, gave the warning on Saturday in a post on his X social media handle while reacting to a statement issued on Friday by Dangote Group titled, “On Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) We Stand”.
Dangote Group had in the statement signed by its Group Chief, Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, said that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said that it had facilitated the allocation of 29 million barrels of crude oil to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, but that it would be unable to enforce the domestic crude supply obligation as specified in the PIA, citing “sanctity of contracts” as an excuse.
The Dangote Group statement read, “We are in receipt of NUPRC’s statement that they have facilitated the allocation of 29 million barrels of crude oil to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.
“We would like to thank them for this allocation but at the same time let them know that we are yet to receive these cargoes.
“Aside from the term supply we bilaterally negotiated with NNPC, so far NUPRC has only facilitated the purchase of one crude cargo from a domestic producer. The rest of the cargoes we have processed were purchased from international traders.
“All we are asking for, is for refineries in Nigeria to buy crude directly from the companies that produce it in Nigeria rather than from international middlemen. This is specified in the PIA.
“Unfortunately, the NUPRC has effectively admitted in their statement that they will be unable to enforce the domestic crude supply obligation as specified in the PIA citing “sanctity of contracts” as an excuse.”
In his reaction, Atiku called on Nigerians to take resolute actions to provide reassurance that both internal and external forces are not collaborating to prevent us from reaping the benefits promised by this eagerly anticipated transformative endeavour.
He wrote, “Each parent eagerly awaiting the arrival of a child will dutifully undertake the necessary measures to ensure that the nurturing and development of this precious blessing remain a primary focus.
“This fundamental principle applies equally to investments, whether they be local or international in nature.
“With this understanding, I am cautious in considering any deliberate attempts to impede the progress of the Dangote Refinery, a significant private sector project positioned to meet our energy and forex needs.
“Alongside numerous fellow citizens of goodwill, I call upon all Nigerians to take resolute actions to provide reassurance that both internal and external forces are not collaborating to prevent us from reaping the benefits promised by this eagerly anticipated transformative endeavour.”
