The Managing Director of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, David Bird, has reassured Nigerians that the refinery will proceed to fulfill the nation’s gasoline wants regardless of ongoing disruptions within the international oil and gasoline market.
He famous that whereas gasoline import‑dependent nations are already experiencing panic shopping for and rationing, Nigeria won’t face such challenges once more because the refinery is dedicated to making sure petrol availability throughout the nation.
Speaking throughout a media chat, Bird mentioned the refinery stays steadfast in supplying uninterrupted gasoline to the Nigerian market at the same time as geopolitical tensions within the Middle East drive sharp will increase in crude oil costs, freight charges, and insurance coverage prices.
According to him, the worldwide oil market has seen a rare surge inside a short while. “Just a week ago, oil was trading in the mid‑$60 range, and it has now climbed to nearly $120 per barrel,” he mentioned, including that the shock has affected each phase of the world’s power provide chain.
Bird defined that, like all gamers within the international refining trade, Dangote Refinery is uncovered to fluctuations in crude costs, freight costs, and insurance coverage premiums. However, he harassed that Nigeria now enjoys a important benefit: provide safety made potential by home refining capability.
“What would be worse than $120 oil is no oil,” he acknowledged, declaring that some nations are already implementing rationing as a result of they rely utterly on imports.
He added that a number of nations with vital refining capability have begun limiting gasoline exports to safeguard native provide amid the continuing international provide shock.
Bird emphasised that so long as the refinery continues to obtain Nigerian crude via the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), it can maintain its provide to the home market.
“With government support and steady access to domestic crude, Dangote Refinery will continue to meet all of Nigeria’s refined fuel requirements,” he assured.
He revealed that the refinery is working at its full nameplate capability of about 650,000 barrels per day—making it one of many world’s largest single‑practice refineries. The facility can produce between 50 million and 55 million litres of petrol each day, with the flexibility to extend output via mixing if wanted.
Nigeria’s each day petrol consumption is estimated at 35 million litres, Bird famous, underscoring that the refinery has greater than sufficient capability to fulfill nationwide demand.
He additional acknowledged that the refinery is prioritising provide to the Nigerian market to ensure what he described as “fuel abundance.” “We will ensure that Nigeria enjoys fuel abundance, not fuel scarcity,” Bird affirmed.
However, he cautioned that pricing will nonetheless be influenced by international market situations, as crude utilized by the refinery is bought at worldwide benchmark charges even below the crude‑for‑naira association.
“Pricing is determined largely by global commodity markets,” he defined, including that selections about gasoline worth interventions relaxation with the federal government.
Bird concluded by noting that the refinery, which commenced sustained operations in early 2024, has considerably improved efficiency following upkeep and optimisation actions carried out earlier within the yr.
